The Hunter Mage

CHAPTER FOUR

He heard a loud bell and Vernon dropped his blanket as he instinctively tried to cover his ears. The sound wasn't exactly loud but it was the last thing Vernon expected to hear so the shock and unexpectancy of it made his eardrums ring.

He soon realized that it wasn't so loud and brought his hands down as he resumed staring. The gate was painted black and it didn't look like it was built to open, there was a small door at the right corner and that was where the figure stood with his back Vernon as he rang a large bell.

The bell was huge but that did not come as a surprise and Vernon badly wanted to ring it too. The small gate opened as soon as the bell stopped ringing but Vernon could not see who was at the other side of the door.

"Come here," he heard the figured cold screechy voice call out to him again and his feet began to move before he sent out the command as he feared what would happen if he didn't. "Go in."

He didn't get a chance to stop as the order came as soon as he started to walk. He walked right through the gate and found a man he assumed to be a gatekeeper not that he knew what that meant. It was a middle-aged man who Vernon wasn't sure if he was bent or he wanted to reach Vernon's height.

"What's your name, young man?" The old man asked softly.

"Vernon," he replied softly, unsure of what this was.

"Oh, what a nice name." The old man muttered.

From the corner of his eyes, Vernon could see the figure drawing away and the wave that he was really stuck in a strange place washed over him. He felt his tears fall down and he started to sniffle.

"No, no, no. Don't cry. You're a good boy and good boys don't cry." He said and patted Vernon on his head. Vernon nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist.

"What are you holding?" The man asked, trying to distract him.

"My blanket," he replied and watched the old man reach to close the small gate. He bolted it and then proceeded to wrap it in chains then taking a single key he locked the chain in place with a rusty old key.

"That's good. Come sit with me." The old man muttered and walked towards a small building that was attached to the gates. There was a wooden bench out in front and Vernon watched the old man sit on it.

He followed closely behind and when he got close enough the old man helped him onto the bench. "How old are you?" He asked.

"I'm seven," Vernon announced proudly after he was comfortably seated.

"Wow! Aren't you a big boy?"

Vernon didn't care for petty praises but he thought the old man was nice and talking to the old man did not exactly take his mind off the fact that he had just been forcefully taken away from his parents, his home, and his community but it helped.

"Someone should be here to pick you up soon, they heard the bell, it just takes a while for them to get here. That there is where someone would come from to get you." He said and pointed in the opposite direction. Vernon's eyes followed the old man's fingers as he looked in the direction the old my pointed and he realized an even bigger presence was hidden behind the gate. His eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as he stared at the biggest mansion he had ever seen in his life, not that he had ever seen a mansion before.

He was certain that all the houses in his village if combined together, couldn't make up this building. "What is that?" He asked in awe.

"That?" The old man giggled. "That's the magic school."

"Magic School?" Vernon queried.

"Yeah, that is where people like you go to. What kind of magic do you do?" He asked, studying Vernon.

"I don't know," the poor boy replied, looking down at his hands. He didn't understand the question nor did he know how to reply. "Are there different types?" He looked up at the old man as he asked the question.

The old man shrugged and looked away, he couldn't say anymore not because he knew but because he was not supposed to know nor was he allowed to ask questions. He only let it slip now because he had been curious and had hope that maybe the child knew.

When Vernon noticed that the old man was likely not going to say anything else, he turned his attention to the surroundings. They were currently at the gate and there was an open field with a reasonable distance to the big building.

The building was painted in different colors but the most prominent was cream, it looked to have at least four different floors and there was a tower. Vernon took in all that his vision could allow him to as he looked around.

He wondered if Nevil was in there somewhere or if he was taken to a different place and what would he face when he got there. He stared into space thinking and wondering but most of the time he spent staring.

Vernon didn't know how long it took but he soon noticed someone coming down the path, they were dressed in an outfit that covered most parts of their body. He was beginning to get sick of that and wondered if he would have to wear that but the old man wasn't completely covered, maybe he wouldn't be.

"Someone is coming," he muttered.

"Where? Really?" The old man said drowsily as if jolting from a deep sleep.

Vernon pointed in the direction and the old man squinted his eyes as he tried to see but to no avail. "I must be getting really old, I can't see a thing." He chuckled but stayed alert as he waited.

"Ah! I can see them now," the old man cried in excitement after a while.

Vernon nodded pleased that he had been right, the approaching figure soon revealed herself. It was a chubby woman who was dressed in all black with sprinkles of white on her headgear.

She wore a dress that was only fitted around her waist and then came down loosely, stopping just at her ankles. She wore black socks with black boots. The only skin she showed was her hands as she wore gloves and the dress was long-sleeved.

She was working very briskly and as soon as Vernon could see her face clearly she was right in front of them. The old man jumped to his feet and bowed his head when she got close enough.

"Fred!" She called loudly even though she was just a few feet away.

Vernon watched the old man jerk in fear. "Yes, Madame Rachel, " he said in a whisper, clasping his hands together. He kept his eyes to his feet as if avoiding her gaze.

She stopped abruptly and turned to look at Vernon. Vernon instantly felt all the hair on his neck rise. "Is that the boy?" She asked.

The old man who Vernon just realized his name was Fred nodded too quickly, Vernon was scared for his neck. "Yes, the transporter brought him a while back."

Fred couldn't comprehend why he was giving unnecessary information considering she must have heard the bell ring after all that was the only reason she was here but Madame Rachel always made him feel uneasy and he hated that she knew this and enjoyed it.

"What's his name?" She asked Fred.

It was in the tip of his tongue to say he didn't know but decided against it, there was no point lying. "Vernon," he answered slowly, still keeping his hands clasped.

She turned her glare to Vernon and Vernon could feel himself jumping down from the bench before he could even control himself. "Hello, little boy." She said as she bent down to look at him with a bright smile on her face, Vernon felt creeped out.

Close up he didn't think she looked bad, just red like there was a lot of pressure on her face and Vernon wondered what was the reason. His little mind just assumed it was what she looked like normal but the headgear was so tight around her face, it caused it to turn red.

"Hmm, you are too big to be carried…" she frowned mid-sentence. "What is that?" She asked, pointing to what he held.

"My blanket," he mumbled slowly, afraid that she might want to collect it from him.

She looked at him quizzically and just said, "try to keep up."

Vernon barely had time to acknowledge her words when she fled down the way she had just come from. He set off after her just as he heard the old man say, "Bye Vernon." He turned back and gave the old man a wave.