Professor Valentin dismisses the Second Years on the very last day of classes, in the very last class of the semester. Finals take place beginning next week. Dean Nassari stands by the door, and as the hexmates step into the hallway, the fiery efreet stops them.
”You five, have a seat back in the classroom. Debbie, I want a word.”
Debbie casts a look at her friends., who look at her in a concerned way.
The Dean, looking stern, intones, “Ms Tylstine, I have a serious matter to address with you. Your hexmates returned several rare and quite valuable stolen magical artifacts. Among them, the famous Prismari Grunge Guitar—that exquisite instrument with strings that literally hum with chromatic resonance. The instrument I received was returned back into the Arcane Instruments Repository. Three weeks later, the glamour it carried has worn off. Prior to the instrument disappearing, an investigation revealed that the Repository log clearly shows your name, your student ID, and what appears to be a doodle of a smiley face where your return date should be. What do you know about this?”
Debbie peers at the large book she is being shown, and says, “That’s not my handwriting.”
Dean Nassari stares hard down their nose at Debbie. “Then who would have done such a thing in your name?”
Several beats of silence follow, then Alister’s voice rings out, “It was me. I took the Grunge Guitar and put Debbie’s name in the log book.”
Popeyed, the Dean stares at Alister as if she can’t believe what is she is hearing.
“I beg your pardon, Alister? YOU took the Grunge Guitar?”
Alister hangs their head and admits, “Yes, it was me! I took it.”
The patience of the dean evaporates, and she explodes, “The Grunge is not some common six-string to be strummed at dormitory gathering.! It is a delicate alchemical instrument that requires precise environmental conditions. Even now, its harmonics are likely degrading in whatever unregulated space you’ve hidden it!”
“All of it is fine,” mutters Alister.
The shimmer of red flame playing across the surface of the Dean’s face pales to a queasy lemon yellow. “All of it?” she gasps. “How many pieces is the Grunge Guitar in?”
Alarmed, Alister sputters, “One! One! It’s not broken! One!”
Dean Nassari sends Alister back to the Hex to retrieve the instrument. Debbie shifts uneasily, knowing that it is not there. In fact, the Guitar is not even on this plane. Debbie has tucked the instrument safely away at Professor Fistandia’s extra dimensional cottage using the key she failed to return to Matreous, the professor’s unfortunate graduate student.
“Now, as for you all—I require volunteers for a service expedition to Chalet Brantifrax tomorrow. In exchange, we shall forget that you have broken the school code by not turning Alister into the Administration!”
“But we didn’t know!” objects KFC
“Nevertheless,” continues Dean Nassari, as if not hearing, “you will journey to the very edges of Strixhaven campus into the Mistral Valley, to the Chalet Brantifrax. You will connect with Professor Emeritus Oswald Brantifrax, who has contracted with the Herbology Department. He shall pass to you six crates of botanical specimens that grow only on the near the chalet. Professor Brantifrax should have sent this days ago, but he is a bit forgetful, due to his advanced age. And he is a bit hard of hearing, so speak slowly and clearly. You will bring the boxes back here.”
”But WHY must we go?” demands KFC.
“The university motto, Magia Sine Calceis, is not to be taken lightly. After all, ‘Magic Without Darkness’ are words to live by, unless you’re in Witherbloom. And Alister’s theft of the Grunge Guitar is certainly dark, and they are in Prismari!!”
”Wait, doesn’t the motto translate to ‘Magic Without Shoes’?” whispers Debbie.
”Shhh!!” hisses Beckaylee.
”No one ever listens the chicken,” grumbles KFC.
”Do we need to go? We’ve got finals next week,” complains Reyna to the Dean.
Dean Nassari turns to Reyna, regarding her. “You’re right. You’re needed here to work in the kitchens. You are excused from this duty.”
&&&
Back at the hex, Alister finds Squid seated on the floor, playing jacks.
“Hello, Squid,” says Alister, tentatively. The child gives side eye to Alister.
“Hello, Alister.”
”How are you, Squid…you’re well, aren’t you?”
”I’m hungry, Alister.”
“Sweet, sweet Squid… I have a favor to ask you…”
The child stares at the elf, “You know I don’t really like you, Alister…”
“I know, Squid, but I was hoping you’d consider doing me a service in exchange for a boon….you’d like a boon, wouldn’t you Squid?”
”I’d like a sandwich, Alister.”
Alister brightens. “I’ll get you one, then you can help me look for the Grunge Guitar Debbie has.”
By the time Alister returns with the tuna sandwich he has made for Squid, the child has vanished. Alister spend the next hour dismantling Debbie’s room looking for the magical instrument, but to no avail.
&&&
The hexmates, minus Reyna, find themselves headed north or broom, or in the case of Alister, in hawk form. As they arrive in the late afternoon, the moss covered stone looming out of the forest. A family burial plot, home to a large flock of ravens, is shrouded in mist.
No one answers Alister’s insistent knocking. KFC circles the building and finds that one of the windows on the ground floor of the tower is broken out. One by one, the hexmates enter.
The table in the center of the round room is covered with papers, parchments and pens, and one chair has been dumped over. Muddy, webbed foot tracks can be seen crossing the tiles of the room. An exploration of the house leads Hester to the cellar. Here, a breeze from somewhere to the south creaks a door open, bringing with it distant and echoing whispers and mutters.
Hester discovers Professor Brantifrax at the bottom of the well, talking to himself. With the aid of Debbie’s Rope of Climbing, they soon have Professor Brantifrax out of the well. The unfortunate professor did not hear a bullywug break the window in his study, interrupting him working upon his memoir. He was placed in the well by the same bullywug, for an unknown reason. Possibly it has to do with the precious artifact, the Founder’s Fountain Pen, that the Professor keeps in the safe upstairs in the chalet.
KFC discovers the safe, open and empty.
&&&
Reyna gets back to the hex after her shift at the cafe. As she relaxes in her room, she hears the front door open and close. Debbie calls out, but no one answer. Reyna hears the floorboards squeak as someone crosses to one of the other rooms. Stealthily, Reyna crosses to listen at each of them, and hears someone in Debbie’s room.
Very carefully, Reyna pushes open the door to see Muragxor, digging through the dresser. Reyna cautiously sneaks in and attacks Murgaxor, striking the vile creature with her dagger.
Murgaxor whips around, and prepares to cast a spell at Reyna.
