Wild magic, p.1
Wild Magic, page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Special Thanks
The Hundred Halls Appendix
The Hundred Halls Universe
Also by Thomas K. Carpenter
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wild Magic
Book One in Animalians Hall Series
By
Thomas K. Carpenter
Copyright Information
Wild Magic
Book One in Animalians Hall Series
A Hundred Halls Universe Series
Copyright © 2020 by Thomas K. Carpenter
Published by Black Moon Books
www.blackmoonbooks.com
Cover Design Copyright © 2020 by Ravven.com
Discover other titles by this author on:
www.thomaskcarpenter.com
This is a novel work of fiction. All characters, places, and incidents described in this publication are used fictitiously, or are entirely fictional.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, except by an authorized retailer, or with written permission of the publisher. Inquires may be addressed via email to thomaskcarpenter@gmail.com
CONTENTS
Wild Magic
About the Author
Special Thanks
Hundred Halls Appendix
Hundred Halls Books
Other Works
Copyright
Start Reading Now
Chapter One
Pax smelled blood on the way past the fyrehound dome at the Portland Supernatural Zoo. She stuttered to a stop, her shoes scuffing gravel on the path.
She hesitated to test the air again—not that she wasn't used to blood, she'd dealt with buckets of the thick red stuff when she was in charge of feeding the manticore, but her nose hadn't been enchanted for hyper sensing then like it was in that moment. She'd forgotten to have Esmerelda remove the spell before she left the herpetarium.
The brief tang she'd caught had been like gargling coppery fire—it choked her. The unexpected wave of late summer heat turned the scent rancid. Even without actively sniffing, her nose burned as if she'd snorted chili powder.
But her reluctance evaporated the moment she heard the shrieks of a wounded animal. The noise had come from her right, off the path, in a thicket of trees. Leafy branches whipped her bare skin as she burst through the undergrowth, cursing for the first time at the zoo's policy of natural landscaping. Pax fought through a bramble patch, where a thorny limb snagged her backpack.
The rational part of her brain reminded her quite dispassionately of the sheer stupidity of rushing towards the cries of a wounded animal, especially in the confines of the Portland Zoo, which was considered the most dangerous zoo in the world due to the prevalence of supernatural creatures. If a creature was being injured, it was likely something larger was doing the injuring, which meant she could be rushing into a more dangerous situation than she could anticipate.
When she broke through the underbrush into a small clearing, she had to accept that the rational part of her brain had been correct.
Stupid brain, she chastised it.
It was a dangerous animal. The most dangerous of all. And worse yet, there were three of them.
"Where'd it go?" asked a tall boy in a striped T-shirt, wielding a long stick he'd clearly broken from a nearby tree.
"In that hole," said a second boy, who had a zoo flag resting on his shoulder in the pose of someone who was always taken seriously. "Derek, you go over there and shove your stick into the hole. Me and Blaine will wait over here for when it comes rushing out."
The boys hadn't seen Pax yet, but she'd certainly seen them, and with growing distress, she realized they weren't just boys, but well on their way to adulthood. Probably around her age, had been lead to believe they were their parents' gift to the world, and had a severe lack of a working conscience.
She'd rather be facing down a long-tailed dragon with bad breath, but there was no way she was going to let them bother even a fruit fly if she could help it. It'd be a lot easier if Kali was with her, but since she wasn't allowed at the zoo anymore the little thoratic fox was at home in the shed.
Nor did she think returning to the main pathways would help since it was unlikely she'd find one of the guards—the zoo was radically underfunded—and the creature could be dead by then.
Pax checked that she was still wearing her Portland Magical Zoo shirt, took a deep breath, and yelled, "Put even one inch of that stick in the hole and I'll have my deathhawk bite your faces off. My darling Anthrax loves eating faces," said Pax with her arms crossed, glancing at the sky expectantly.
Three heads turned her direction. The man-child Derek had the end of his stick hovering over the hole, while his jaw hit his chest.
"Who the hell is that?" asked Blaine.
"Shit, it looks like she works here," said Derek, who was as pale as chalk. "This place freaks me out enough already."
Pax craned her neck towards the trees. "Come down here, Anthrax. Lovely, lovely faces to eat. Yum, yum!"
As she turned her back on the three boys, she pursed her lips and made the call of an African lightning bird. Despite the name, the creature was relatively tame—she'd gotten to handle one last year in the avian section—but their calls were shiver inducing. The first time she'd heard one scream, she thought a ghost had climbed through her.
Logan, the boy in front who'd been giving them directions, screwed his face up. "She might be working at the zoo, but there ain't no such thing as deathhawks, and she wouldn't have one with her outside of the domes, anyway."
Derek didn't seem to be buying his argument. He threw down his stick and backed away, breaking into a jog as he left the clearing. Blaine looked like he was going to stay until Pax spread her arms wide and screeched like the lightning bird again.
"This chick is messing with us," said Logan as he strolled towards her.
"Deathhawk or no, I don't want to get in trouble. She's got a zoo shirt on," said Blaine over his shoulder as he trotted away.
After the other two left, she was face-to-face with Logan. He had brown, wavy hair, icy blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles across his nose. He should have been attractive, except she could see right into his rotten soul.
"I don't like when people mess with me," said Logan, slapping the flagpole in his other hand.
Pax's guts were doing backflips. Logan was calling her bluff. While she knew a few spells that she wasn't supposed to cast because of the dangers of faez madness, using magic as a non-Hall mage would get her into major trouble.
Pax crouched low and rocked on her heels as she decided if she should run, but she could still smell the injured animal in the hole and she didn't want him to finish the job.
He poked her in the shoulder with the flag.
"I wouldn't let my two idiot friends talk to me like that, so I certainly ain't going to let—"
Before he could finish, Pax knocked the flag away and lunged with her fist, driving it into his nose. The crack filled the clearing.
"Owww, fuck, you broke my nose," he said, holding his hands over his face as fresh blood streamed down his lips and chin.
"It looks like we've got a bleeder," she said.
Rage built in his eyes until they bulged. As he took a step forward, Pax saw her opening. She kicked him between the legs hard enough that the toe of her shoe caught him in the ass.
His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he tipped over backwards, landing unceremoniously in a sticker bush. He lay there groaning with his hands between his legs and his mouth covered in blood.
Seeing her opening, Pax rushed to the hole in the ground, hoping the critter inside would let her tend it.
"Hello, little one." She spoke into the hole, sending out good vibes in hopes that it could sense them. "I'm here to help. If you come out, I'll take you home and fix you."
With her enhanced nose, she could smell the injury. The creature had been badly hurt, which meant that it might lash out at her if she reached in, and since she didn't know what it was, that could prove deadly. Due to the climate, the Portland area had an overpopulation of supernatural creatures, which was one reason why the zoo was so successful.
"Esmerelda would kill me if she saw me now," said Pax, leaning onto her elbow so she could shove her arm i nto the hole.
Behind her, Logan seemed to be recovering. He was alternating between moans and cursing her.
"Come on, little one. I just want to help," she said.
Worming her arm into the hole, Pax jumped when something sharp sunk into her fingers. She cried out, but didn't move her hand. An initial bite might only be reflexive.
"See," said Pax, "I'm not going to hurt you. Just let me rescue you, whatever you are."
When the creature didn't bite a second time, Pax reached further, grabbing onto downy fur and tugging the creature out. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Logan had regained his feet and was stumbling towards her, one hand on his crotch, spitting blood and profanity.
Without checking to see what kind of critter she'd rescued, Pax cradled it against her chest and crashed through the undergrowth until she burst upon the main path. She headed towards the Lovelace Research Building, where she knew she'd find Esmerelda and a first aid kit.
It was about a quarter mile to the front of the park, which Pax speed walked, not wanting to run and upset the injured critter, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Logan wasn't pursuing her, but once she knew she was away from him, she slowed her escape, pressing her chin against her chest long enough to realize that she'd rescued an owlthing. The critter looked like an owl, but it couldn't fly and burrowed in the ground. They were native to Scandinavia, but had been brought to the Northwest as pets to be abandoned when the owners realized that owlthings could chew through stone and hypnotized small prey to walk into their open beaks.
"Oh, you poor thing," she said.
They had wide, expressive eyes that made her feel gooey inside. Underneath the owlthing's arm, a gash had been opened. Already, the sleeve of her shirt was warm with coppery blood.
Pax cut through the southern aviary dome, which housed a number of flight-capable supernaturals like the camazotz, the pseudo-griffon, and the rainbow crow. As she hurried past an enclosure covered in signs that said, "Do Not Tap the Glass" and "Camazotz: The Death Bat," a dark shape shot past the glass, landing in a tree. The camazotz was as big as a human, with black-brown leathery wings and sharp teeth that ripped through flesh easily. The critter in her arms seemed to sense the presence of the predator, because she heard it squeaking.
"Shh, little one, almost there," she told it.
Shouldering through the north exit door led her to a short path. When she burst into the Lovelace Research Building, Esmerelda was standing with a handsome, somewhat familiar, older man in a brown suit, looking over a tray of selkie eggs that had been gifted to the zoo a week ago. Esmerelda wore the standard uniform of tan slacks and a green polo shirt, had her gorgeous black hair tamed by a jade clip, which showed off the silvery bangles on her ears, and had her right hand resting on the gentleman's arm.
"Pax," said Esmerelda, immediately rushing over to her. Zoo people always knew when a critter was injured. "I thought you went home?"
"Hey Esy, I heard this owlthing injured in the clearing past the fyrehound dome," said Pax as she set the feathery critter on the table while Esmerelda pulled out the first aid kit. If it weren't for the presence of the exceedingly familiar gentleman, Pax would have told Esmerelda about the kids, but decided not to air zoo business in front of a stranger.
Using one hand to hold the owlthing on the table, Pax popped open a tube of veterinary grade antibacterial and squeezed it into the crescent-shaped wound while Esy prepared a bandage. The owlthing squeaked softly at the cool medicine, but otherwise let her work.
While they administered care, the gentleman in the suit wandered over to watch. As Esmerelda pulled the bandage tape from the roll, she nodded to him and said, "Pax, this is Mr. Alfred Lovelace, one of the zoo's major contributors."
"Oh," said Pax, widening her eyes as she finally understood why she recognized him. His picture was on the main entrance to the building he was named for. "It's nice to meet you."
Mr. Lovelace had an easy grin. "It would be hard for me not to give money to this zoo. You do such important work here."
Pax covertly shot Esmerelda an eyeroll. She'd clearly been flirting with him.
"You look quite busy, so I should go," said Mr. Lovelace. "Thank you again, Ms. Esmerelda, for giving me a tour."
"Of course," said Esmerelda. "Anytime. We're just so grateful for your support."
After he left, as they finished with the owlthing, leaving it swaddled on the table in a fresh blanket, Pax turned on Esmerelda with a big grin on her face.
Esmerelda flipped her ponytail with the shake of her head. "Whatever it takes." She winked. "Anyway, he's a very nice man. Generous too. Believes in the zoo, which we need, badly. What happened with the owlthing?"
Pax sighed. "A couple of guys were tormenting it."
Esmerelda raised an eyebrow. "What did you do, Pax?"
"I scared two of them off, then, sort of, kind of, broke the last kid's nose. I got out of there before he could catch me," said Pax.
"Pax! That was a customer. You could get yourself fired, again, or sued, or both." Esmerelda put a hand on one hip and pointed her finger at Pax, but despite the lecturing posture, her eyes were rounded with concern. "Or what if he'd caught you? You could get hurt again."
"I know, Esy, I know," said Pax with a sigh as she traced her finger along the edge of the table. "But the owlthing was injured, and those assholes were making it worse."
Esmerelda crossed her arms. "Pax, you know I love you, would do anything for you, but eventually rushing into danger is going to get you killed."
"Yes, zoo mom," said Pax.
Esmerelda sighed, tapping on the table next to the swaddled critter. "You know we don't have the facilities to hold an owlthing."
"It's okay, I'll take it back to my shed," said Pax. "The wound wasn't as bad as I thought. It just needs a few days rest and then I can release it back into the woods before I leave."
Esmerelda grabbed Pax's hands as her eyes brightened like suns. The two fingers that the owlthing had clamped on smarted, but no real damage had been done, and she didn't want Esmerelda to know about her reckless grab into the hole, or she'd get a lecture about protecting her hands.
"Oh, that's right. That's this weekend! I'm so excited for you, Pax. You finally get to try out for the Hundred Halls."
A lump rose into Pax's throat. She looked away. "Do you really think I can pass the trials?"
Esmerelda cupped her face. "Oh, sweetie, I know you will. And then you'll join Animalians like I did. I can't wait for you to meet Patron Adele, the other professors. It was truly the most wonderful place. I loved every moment of it."
Pax wished she was as confident about the entrance trials as Esmerelda was. While she'd been training for years, her grasp of magic wasn't to the level she thought it needed to be to pass.
"Pax. I see that look in your eyes. Magical ability is only one part of it. So what if your Merlin scores were low. Animalians isn't a high-faez kind of hall." Esmerelda tapped on her chest. "You have what matters most, a willingness to try, and you have a heart as big as an ocean."
"Salty and moody?" asked Pax, cocking a grin.
Esmerelda let the corners of her plush lips rise slightly. "You've been doing your finger and enunciation exercises, right? A mage is only as good as their digit dexterity and diction. All the faez in the world is useless if you can't make the gestures."
Pax nodded, but covertly tested the spot where the owlthing had clamped its beak onto her hand. Her fingers were sore but not injured.
"Eleven benevolent elephants in red rolling wagons watching six sticky skeletons," said Pax, hoping she wouldn't ask for a demonstration of finger exercises.
Esmerelda leaned her head back and laughed, then patted Pax on the shoulder. "You need to get home. The last thing you need is more problems with your parents."
Pax collected the owlthing, which had fallen asleep in the blanket, flexing her fingers beneath the covering.
"Thanks, zoo mom."
Before Pax could leave, Esmerelda held up her hand. "And remember, everyone gets through the trials in their own way. There's no one right answer. Use what you know best."
"Rush headlong into danger?" responded Pax with a smirk.
Esmerelda tilted her head and pursed her lips. "You know what I mean. Be yourself, your best version of yourself."
