Thanks for being such an avid reader Lucifer646

Zach woke the next morning feeling stiff as a board, every muscle aching. He couldn't even bring himself to walk to school and had to bum a ride from one of his Dads. Once there everyone had a good laugh when they saw him try to nonchalantly ascend the front stairs without grimacing. Needless to say he'd failed miserably.

He went through his human classes dreading the afternoon ahead. He was tired and sore and he just wanted a day off already, but fat chance of that, it was only Tuesday.

After falling asleep in English he thought this schedule will be the death of me.

By lunch he'd noticed grudgingly that the guys were getting too much of a kick out of his pain.

When he entered the cafeteria for lunch to see them all watching his stiff movements with smirks on their faces, he began to throw his fries at them one at a time until the entire table burst out laughing including himself.

After talking with them animatedly and being ribbed more than a few times about the chaos of the day before he had to admit he was feeling much better.

He started having a modicum of hope that he just might survive his magical classes this afternoon.

When the bell rang to announce first period of the afternoon he was actually excited for first class.

So off he went to perform his own version of the Magical Macarena.

*****

Zach and Lauren hit up Ritualistic Dance taught by Eutie for his first class, where he promptly learned that having two left feet was a real thing. He tripped over himself and almost every other magical creature in attendance.

Lauren had had to laugh and say,' good thing they lived in a damp climate, because if they had to rely on him for a rain dance they'd all die of dehydration.'

He just thought, "Hardie har har . . . Everyone's a Comedian."

*****

Second period was interesting; he finally got to that Transmogrification class. Mr Alexeev their social Studies teacher was teaching it. He told Zach in no uncertain terms that he was to call him Adrik

And when he promptly turned into a bear Zach thought who am I to argue?

Lauren explained to Zach that Adrik was a Leshy, which was sort of a Slavic (Russian) nature Fae and that he can shapeshift into anything regardless of the size.

Zach could see that. When he told Lauren he thought Adrik looked like a 'wild man' who'd just stumbled straight out of the woods -- what with his wild and bushy beard and long disheveled hair.

She just got a dreamy look in her eyes and said, 'yeah in all the best ways.'

He'd just shook his head at that and thought "Girls!"

When he'd stupidly said to Quinn he was surprised he could shift without the full moon, he had said in reply,' I'm a skinwalker, Noob not a werewolf,' and unceremoniously growled at him threateningly.

Right Zach reminded himself touchy subject, steer clear.

Well needless to say he was glad when that class was over. Being there had only aggravated his allergy to animal fur and taught him not to say everything that popped into his stupid head.

*****

Lauren was the one to groan at the next class they went to. Zach wasn't too excited about it either given the near death experience he had had yesterday, but they had to visit the class sometime, and he guessed they wouldn't get away with 'better never than late.' So off they went to 4th dimensional psychics.

Le Fay was in fine form today. She devised a practical exercise to test the most proficient tele-porter.

Zach had found the experiment fascinating, but Lauren had just turned green with the prospect. They were to design their own teleportation glyph, whatever that was, and transport the apple on their desk to another table set up by the teacher's.

Seemed simple enough.

Zach thought Lauren was just being modest in Spellcasting yesterday, after seeing her travel so freely from where ever she had come from to his room last week surely she could accomplish this, but one look at her frightened face made him second guess his snap judgment of her skill level.

She was looking back and forth from her table to the not too far distant table by the teacher with her mouth opening and closing like a guppy out of water.

So he grabbed her arm and said, "You got this. I know you can do it. I believe in you."

At that she turned determinedly to her desk and began to incant, and drawing her finger along the grains of wood she began to wave her other hand over her work like she was polishing it with her magic.

Zach was awestruck by the green glowing lines that began to appear magically before his eyes.

"That's my girl" he said, "You got this."

Lauren smiled at him in return.

She intoned for a long time after that going over the lines she had created over and over as if to reinforce them. When in a sudden movement she looked up at him, smiling triumphantly, and slammed her hand down on the table.

No one else had finished their chant yet. So she was the first to complete the task and make her attempt.

Zach heard a sound like a balloon popping and quickly saw the apple disappear.

Lauren took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze as the air in the center of the table across the room began to waver.

He looked over to her with awe and wonder, she really was the most talented girl he knew, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupting by a loud bang, as the apple popped in to existence, and; then promptly exploded, all over everyone in the front row.

There was a collective scream before Le fay started clapping languidly, and said caustically, "Congratulations Ms Nash you've managed to make a passable apple sauce. Remind me to invite you to dinner when next I choose to have pork chops."

Zach's mouth dropped open at the cruelty of the statement. He couldn't help thinking she really was a hateful Bitch.

He was about to give the arrogant so-and-so a piece of his mind. When Lauren reached up to squeeze his arm, and giving him an imploring look, whispered, 'don't.'

Zach quietly seethed for the remainder of the class.

He looked on as each student tried and either accomplished it or never even managed to teleport the apple.

Lauren had at least been able to transport the thing. She just needed more practice and a little more encouragement. Something she was obviously not getting from bitch face at the front.

Oh he vowed he was taking this class for sure. He'd help Lauren get great so that she could shove it in the teacher's smug little face.

*****

The next two classes were taught by the remaining two muses Cally and Clio. Cally as the muse of writing and the stylus taught a rather fascinating class on Symbolic Magic. Which turned out to be pretty cool.

The freckled muse showed them how to draw their own magic symbols and paint their magic circles.

Lauren went on to explain that glyphwork, like the one she had tried and failed in the last class, were a type of Symbolic magic. Rather than just using incantation to tell the magic what to do you can create the magic by design like writing code for a video game. Just like the codec symbols can be the fundamentals, foundation, and the fulfillment of the game so too can they be for magic. Zach couldn't help thinking that was the coolest thing he'd ever heard.

That was until the next class.

*****

The next class which was right next door was Clio's. Zach was surprised when they entered and instead of a class; they stepped into a manor like library complete with fireplace and wall to wall books. The structure was shaped like a turret or tower and lined with whitewashed ancient looking stones. It even had those ladders that run the length of the wall on wheels so you can reach the very top. Above those rows was a circular landing which led to umpteen other circular landings going up and up, it seemed for infinity. Zach had to crane his neck and still he could not see the top. Had they teleported to another location?

"No" Lauren quickly responded to the quizzical look on his face. "We're still in the school. Well sort of . . ." Zach could see her struggling with the explanation and couldn't wait for her reply.

She took a deep intake of air before beginning.

"Zach," she asked, "where do you think we are?"

Zach thought about it for a moment and said," The magical wing of the school I think."

"Yes but where in time or space?"

Huh . . . was Zach's only thought. "What do you mean," he asked?

"I mean," explained Lauren, "that when we crossed the warded barrier to the magical wing we never went where, but when. We exist between the ticks of the clock on an alternate plane of existence. "

"When we crossed through that door," she said, as she pointed at the door to the library, "we crossed over to another time and another plane of existence altogether. "

"Think of it this way."

"If you had the ability to be anywhere in the world wouldn't it make it almost impossible to find you?

"Now imagine if you could be any when?"

"It would be like trying to hit a star in the Pleiades System with a sling shot."

Zach shivered at the thought of the staggering amount of power that must be required for that. It was mind boggling.

"Now that I've explained that to you' I can tell you that the library you're standing in is the Pharos Lighthouse, better known as the Library of Alexandra in ancient Egypt. Obviously, we are in the when before it was first burned in 48 BC. All the knowledge of ancient magic and prehistory is kept her and of course they've added our Common Era knowledge as well.

Zach was absolutely stunned.

"Why did they go through so much trouble to do that Lauren?"

"I don't understand. Aren't we like considered next to nothing to the fullbloods."

"Oh," she said, "they don't do it for us. They do it to protect themselves and the human world. If one of us was to go ballistic and explode like a nuke over Hiroshima it would only destroy every halfblood and teacher on this side of the barrier and the nano second of time that they reside in. "

Zach's head hurt at the thought.

He gave a low whistle at how little the council really trusted them. To go to this much trouble to set up such elaborate measures to safeguard themselves.

With shaky legs he took a seat at one of the many round tables that had existed millennia ago and ran a doubly shaky hand nervously though his hair before Clio came into view and said:

"Welcome to the Study of Ancient Magical Scrolls, Zach. I see you've been briefed on our locale. Shall we begin?"

*****

Zach had walked in a daze to his final class of the day unable to form a single sentence or coherent thought. He kept opening and closing his mouth to begin to say something or ask a question, but nothing would come out. Lauren let him digest the information she'd given him which he was truly grateful for.

Could he really live in a world like this? A world where millennia and miles are traverse in two long strides, you can hold in your hand something that had been reduced to ash in the ancient past and marvel at the sweet smell of its newness. He didn't know if he could.

The wonder of his new world hurt his soul. He knew he should feel elated, but it left him with a tight shiver down his spine at the idea that any creature could wield that much power.

He was finally coming to the realization that he had entered a very dangerous world. Zach felt like a snake charmer on his first day. One wrong move and this world would strike.

When he arrived at Rothe's or Helsing's class he was happy to find that it was just your everyday run of the mill room -- Nothing unusual at all -- which he was very grateful for because his aching head could not stand any more.

Well not completely normal ; it looked like an Indian Ashram. Complete with pillows strewn all over the floor, incense and low hanging lamps that cast a muted glow around the room.

When they sat down on the pillows arranged in circles on the floor of a room that looked remarkably like his dad's yoga studio, Zach was happy to hear that they would start out the class with a five minute meditation.

It helped him slow his rushing mind and focus on the class before him.

When he was instructed to pair up with a partner, he quickly grabbed Lauren and they went off to a quiet corner of the room.

Helsing instructed them to feel free to concentrate on their abilities and to not worry because his room was a safe place.

Lauren joked, "In more ways than one. It's warded to the nines." She laughed.

But her jokes met a stony-faced Zach

When she went on to joke,"We should have a safe word," and he still didn't laugh; Zach could see her start to become concerned.

She reached out her hand to him and said, "Look I know how overwhelming this can all be, and believe me, I wanted to run for the hills my first week too, but trust me it does get easier and don't forget you'll always have me."

"Bunny slippers" Zach said and laughed when she looked at him with bewilderment.

"What?"

"That's my safe word."

"Oh . . ." she said, as they both started laughing.

Zach was surprised when he heard his first coherent thoughts from Lauren and they turned out to be her wondering if he'd dance with her at the Masquerade Ball coming up this weekend. He hadn't wanted to embarrass her; so, he hid the fact that he'd heard her, but what he couldn't hide was the thrilled look on his face.

*****

Zach found himself paired off with Knight for training after meditation. He had dragged him out to the middle of the mat in front of the rest of his pupils. Only one of his friends had Knight as a trainer so he had looked into a sea of mostly unfamiliar and impassive faces.

Knight explained to him that his martial artform is WMA which just meant Western Martial Arts. It combines the martial knowledge of several European countries: including Viking grappling techniques, Greek wrestling, English boxing, and French and Italian Martial practices of the middle ages.

Then he proceeded to use him to demonstrate every move to his class. He threw him, pinned him, kicked him, flipped him, kneed, elbowed, and punched him when he was finished Zach had needed the troll bile just to continue his weapons training class.

Zach was shocked when Knight threw him a wooden sword as soon as the new class began and said, "This is what we used to train small children when I was young. Try to keep up, boy."

He had said the last part with a sneer.

For the next hour Zach tried to block the barrage of incoming blows, but he was either too scared or to slow to stop them.

All the while Knight had berated him mercilessly:

"Mr Reis, you are cowering like a coward." 

                      "Mr Reis, cringing like a child will not save you."

                                                       "Mr Reis, you are shying away like a damsel in distress." 

He did everything but out and out call him a pussy and Zach had never felt smaller.

At the end of the longest hour Zach had ever spent, he lay on the mat completely broken and disillusioned.

Knight had bent down towards his prostrated form and uttered for all to hear, "It would appear you're not such an avenging angel after all?"

Not one of the teachers had stepped up to intervene on his behalf. He knew intellectually that they were training soldiers, but in his heart of hearts, he also knew they were all still children too.

As he'd sucked back his healing draught in shocked silence he thought:

Get with the program Zach you're not in Kansas anymore.

*****

On his walk home after training he was uncharacteristically quiet and Lauren knew why.

She had witnessed how hard Knight had been on Zach and she wanted to assure him that he'd done nothing wrong. No one in their right mind expected him to become a warrior overnight.

"Zach I might be able to explain why Knight was being a dick to you today. Do you recall that he's truly Sir Galahad one of the Knights of the Round Table?"

"Yeah, so," Zach sighed.

"Well if the legend is to be believed that when he obtained the Grail, he was taken by Angels to heaven to see what he would never achieve because of his ambition and hubris; then it makes his actions today completely understandable -- not right," she continued holding up her hand, "just understandable."

"Zach the angels rubbed his nose in the fact that he would never enter paradise. He would be the only person in the world who can with one hundred percent certainty know that death will never come for him."

Zach turned to look at her then, finally grasping what she was getting at, and asked. "He hates them doesn't he? Angels I mean."

Lauren let out a long puff of air before answering, "Yes, and to make matters worse I think he's still on his quest, but instead of searching for eternal life he is searching for its opposite."

Lauren continued with an another sigh, "I secretly think he became such a gifted Alchemist because of it."

"Zach are you aware that Alchemy began as the search for the elixir of life? Alchemists thought if they found the right formulae they would be able to stay eternally young. They would rob from death his privilege to take them."

Zach stopped dead in his tracks finally fully comprehending what his friend was saying.

"Lauren are you saying he's looking for the elixir of life to back engineer it, so that he can die?"

"That's my theory." She sighed

"Zach I'm telling you this, because I know you. I know you're going to buy into everything he said in training today and let it eat you up."

Lauren placed her hand on his folded arms and spun him to face her so that he could take in every word she said," Zach please believe me when I say this, 'Those were the words of a very troubled man'."

"He may have been known as the most gallant at point in his life, but he's not infallible, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt he definitely does not know you. " She poked his heart with her ever word to accentuate her point.

Zach wrapped Lauren in a big bear hug and said, "Thank you." Those have got to be the kindest words anyone has ever said to me. I really needed them too, after all the hate that was spewed at me today."

"No Prob," she said pithily, as she spun on her heel and began walking towards Zach's place instead of her own.

"Now take me home," she called over her shoulder, "and feed me lots of carbs. Long was brutal today and I'm starving." 

Lauren's shoulders slumped forward as she began to amble toward his house in a sort of zombie shuffle.

Zach just laughed and did as he was commanded, saying, "Aye aye mon capitan."

********************THANKS FOR READING***************

If you liked this chapter remember to Vote, Comment, add, this book to your reading list, or suggest it to a friend. 

I want to start recommending great books that I've found that haven't got a lot of reads yet and truly deserve it. So here it goes:

Tales of the Caravan by @Avarez765

The Dragon Rider Academy by @TheMcNoots  

Just Dance by @nonameless12

Sirens by @tinyhurricane

A/N I know it seems like I'm skimming over the magic classes but I'm not. I will be including a more in depth view into their magical studies, I just wanted to give you a sneak peak to wet your appetite.  Much love and huggles to all my fellow muggles. 

QUESTION for my READERS: If you could have just one magical power what would it be?

Mine is teleportation.

And go: