The Enchanted Inn and the Cursed Owl

Chapter 5

Ragna

The sharp, icy teeth of the giant beast were just inches away from my face.

I closed my eyes very tight, holding Brynjar’s feathered body against my chest. He bravely spread his wings over me, foolishly trying to protect my body with his small bird body.

I waited for the terrible pain of claws and teeth on my body. Instead, a loud crash of thunder suddenly shook the ground right under us. I quickly opened my eyes. A bright flash of red lightning blew up in the air between me and the angry, scary monster.

The beast crashed into an invisible, curved wall of magic shining from the school’s iron gates. The loud crash sent a huge wave of snow splashing right at us. The big creature roared in anger, hitting the glowing red wall with its huge hands. It was a boundary magic spell. The beast was a school guard, magically tied to the grounds. It could not step past the invisible line. We were totally safe from its reach.

But we were also permanently locked outside forever.

I took a deep breath, slowing my heartbeat, which was beating very fast, although I was still very much afraid. The scary beast paced on the other side of the invisible wall, its glowing white eyes waiting for me to make a mistake and step back inside.

I swallowed hard.

"We really need to go." I did not wait for an answer. I turned my back on the gates and walked slowly into the dark, snowy trees, carrying my bag at my back and clutching onto my responsibility on my chest, which is the owl.

The icy cold was absolute and truly terrible, biting straight through my thick coat into my bones.

The snow was up to my ankle, pulling at my boots with every step. My messy magic sparked uselessly inside me, totally empty after the huge mistake I made in the school yard. But my tired body was nothing compared to the feeling in my chest.

Every single time the freezing wind blew, I felt a torn hole over my heart where Headmaster Vane had ripped away my school pin.

I had spent three years fighting to survive the school, wanting to prove I was more than a bad, chaotic magic student.

But in only ten seconds, I had lost absolutely everything. I had totally ruined my future. Worse than that, I had ruined his future, too. I sadly looked down at my arm. The large owl was holding tightly to my thick sleeve.

Brynjar was totally quiet. His golden-brown eyes stared blankly at the passing pine trees. The proud, smart teacher who easily controlled a whole classroom was truly gone. He was just a prisoner inside a tiny bird body of hollow bones and feathers, riding right on the bad student who ruined his entire, perfect, successful teaching life.

After walking slowly for half a mile, my shoulders began to hurt badly. In my crazy rush, I had shoved iron pots, boots, and my leather coats messily into my canvas bag. The lumpy, uneven weight was giving my back painful bruises. I could not take the pain anymore. I walked clumsily toward the bottom of a huge, old tree. Its wide branches gave us a nice break from the falling snow.

"I need a minute," I breathed, letting the bag slide off my shoulder and crash onto the deep snow. Brynjar quickly jumped off my arm onto a frozen root.

He puffed up his small body to keep warm. His strong judging stare had not changed. I dropped to my knees and tore the canvas bag open. "I must pack this better. The boots hurt my back.

"Suddenly, a sharp, weird heat surrounded my eyes. It felt like someone was pressing a warm thumb inside my head.

"If you had folded your leather coats nicely instead of stuffing them in like a scared squirrel, we would not be stopping to unpack in a deadly winter storm."

I gasped, dropping the iron pot. I spun around quickly, grabbing my sharp hunting knife.

There was nobody there, just the tall pine trees and loud wind.

"Stop waving that dangerous knife around before you cut off a finger, Ragna. Look down at the root."

My breath caught. Brynjar the owl was staring at me. He had not opened his beak, but the voice echoing in my mind was his. It had the exact bossy tone he used when grading my terrible magic homework.

"Can you talk to me?" I whispered in fear.

"Your messy magic forced our two completely different souls together; his mind voice spoke very dryly. Sadly for me, it makes a link."

"I had three minutes to pack before Vane released the guard dogs on us!" I yelled angrily.

"You are not my teacher anymore, Brynjar!"

As the angry words left my mouth, I felt terrible.

The magic thread connecting us buzzed hard. A wave of awful sadness hit my chest. Beneath his bossy voice, Brynjar was drowning in the truth of losing his magic and his human body.

"I know exactly what I sadly lost," he thought quietly. But if you do not pack correctly and fast, we will definitely freeze. I refuse to die a bird."

"Okay," I whispered, swallowing my pride.

I packed and arranged quickly, rolling the coats as he ordered. As I lifted the weight, it felt perfect. "That feels much better," I mumbled.

Brynjar hopped onto my arm. The magic thread settled, wrapping us in faint warmth. I took one step forward but suddenly stopped. The howling winter wind completely stopped. The loud storm vanished, replaced by an unnatural, dead silence. The magic thread pulsed with a deep feeling of danger.

"Do not move". Brynjar warned. Dark shadows moved from the snow, surrounding us. Low growls shook the ground. It was a deadly trap.