The Vendlewalt Academy Pt. 01

The Vendlewalt Academy - The Cursed Necklace P1

I stand at the entrance to a dark tunnel that stretches into oblivion. A lanky man with curly blond hair stands to my left, laughing with a young woman in green trousers, her long looped earrings glinting in the wandlight. To my right, a stout man with a curling mustache and boyish face flicks his wand, sending an orb of light down a tall, narrow corridor; shadows draw themselves up, lengthening as the orb grows to a small white speck in the distance.

"Kevin you almost gave me a heart attack." The blond haired man says jubilantly; my old childhood friend, Thomas Elm. "Well, come on then! We've got some forbidden catacombs to explore!"

"Thomas, are you sure this is wise? The headmaster said the catacombs were off limits for students, don't you think it must be for a reason?" A woman speaks from behind me, Annie Sendlewood, she twists a strand of unruly copper hair with her finger, watching the orb of light retreat into darkness.

"Nonsense, they just store all the old treasure, rarities, and old faculty research down here and they don't want anyone snooping. It's harmless." Says Thomas.

"Yeah," says Bailey Lynn, the woman in green trousers resting on his arm. "--my brother's been down here and he said there was tooons of stuff. That's where he got that bracelet that makes you float."

"Wait, really?" Annie says, her eyes lighting up behind her glasses. "You mean that they actually keep artifacts down here? Behind that single locking spell? Why would they?"

Kevin sticks out his chest, "A sixteen hex locking spell, nothing to scoff at, I'm just very good at figuring them out."

"Yes, miraculous work. I'm sure the combination that Bailey's brother gave you had nothing to do with it." Says Thomas.

I could make out Kevin's ears as they turn a bright pink. I decide to spare him the additional embarrassment I knew was coming, and start off down the corridor. I hold my wand out in front of me, casting light across smooth stone walls. It was our first year in college, and we are already right back to our old ways of stirring up trouble.

"Richard Gallegos, I would never have thought. My favorite adventurer." I hear Thomas say, shaking his head. "Well let's go gang, we have treasures to find and maybe a few hours before someone notices we aren't actually picking Frelberries by the lake."

Chuckling follows behind me as I trudge cautiously forwards.

Several minutes pass, the corridor begins to divide, smaller corridors branch off to the sides. I can see light flickering softly from the ends of their deep shafts. Occasionally we pass ones with both light and music; we stop only for a moment to listen before moving on, the endless expanse of stone beckoning us forwards.

"Wow, this place is really big." Says Bailey, her voice echoing into the distance. "This must go on for miles under the academy! I wonder what spell they used to carve out all this rock?"

"We should split up so we have a better chance of finding something worth showing off to Jacob." Says Thomas.

I almost collide with Kevin as he suddenly stops in front of me. He turns, twisting his mustache nervously.

"This place gives me the creeps. I think we should stick together." He says.

"Don't be a party pooper Kevin!" Thomas says sarcastically. "You can come with Bailey and I, it'll be fun. He turns to me and Annie questioningly. "You guys good as a group?"

I open my mouth to say something, but Annie answers for me. "Yes! Yes. We're fine." She says quickly in a voice an octave higher than usual.

"Oh, okay coool." Says Thomas. "Well, we'll go down there." He says, pointing down another corridor with the faint sound of music, a shimmer of light barely visible at the end. "You guys can go wherever, don't get lost; in fact, here--" He hands me a rock with a rune on its surface, "Just say Ochello! And it will do the rest." As he spoke the word, the rock floated into the air, flying towards him and hitting him in the chest with a whoomph.

"Ouch! Well, good to know it works." He says, handing it back to me with a wince. "It'll show you where I am, it's a seeking spell."

"I can see that." I say, grinning.

"Yes, well, have fun, and don't lose it. We'll be off lads!" He slaps my shoulder before turning around and joining the others.

Thomas, Bailey, and Kevin start off down the adjacent corridor towards the light, leaving me and Annie alone. I look to her questioningly, she shrugs her shoulders.

"I really can't stand the guy if I'm being honest." She says.

"I see, then why come?" I ask curiously.

Annie turns, heading off further down the corridor. "I don't get out much, it's all homework, every single day. Bailey must have seen me sulking because she invited me to come. I brought my journal to take notes." She adds, pulling out a leather bound book from her bag.

I roll my eyes when she isn't looking, then quickly jog to catch up with her. "Ah, okay. That's cool. I don't think we've met properly, I'm Richard, Richard Gallegos."

"Nice to meet you Richard Gallegos." She says, an awkward smile tugging at her lips.

We walk in silence for several minutes, passing corridor after corridor on both sides, most of them disappearing into foreboding nothingness. I steal several glances at Annie. She's quite pretty, the way the wandlight frames her face is striking. How did I not realize before? She didn't seem the type to draw attention to herself, with her classical glasses and buttoned white shirt a size too big.

"So what's your major?" I ask, breaking the silence. My face grows red as I realize how generic the question is.

"I'm double majoring in theoretical magicks and dark history." Annie responds.

"Wow! Those are hard ones. I'm just doing alchemy." I laugh.

"Alchemy is a good one, at least it isn't commoner studies." She grins.

"Oh man, yeah talk about a waste of good coin. Years learning something that you can't even apply to real life and then owing goblins thousands when you realize it's worthless." I say.

Annie held out her hand to stop me. I must look confused because she taps my shoulder, pointing down a corridor to our right. I stare at a pinpoint of golden light, it was different from the other corridors we've seen.

"Speaking of coins--" Annie looks at me, her eyebrows raising mischievously.

I grin back, "You think?" I say.

"Who knows? Maybe they keep some of the academy's pensions down here." She says.

She follows me down the corridor as I approach the light. I squint as it grows brighter.

The echoes of our footfalls grow faster. Light fills my view, blinding me.

"Holy shit." I hear Annie gasp.

I blink as my eyes adjust. We were in a massive chamber, larger than any I had seen in the academy. Towering stone pillars support a cavernous ceiling which stretches into the distance. The pillars sink into the source of the light, thousands of spellbound torches hovering above mountains of what was-- yes-- gold and gems of every shape and color.

"Oh, fuck me." I say, my mouth agape. I stumble onto the gold, my feet slide on tinkling coins.

"I think we just found the school endowment." Annie says.

"They keep it down here? Not in a bank? How?" I say in shock.

"They must-- wait--let me see something." Annie says.

She picks up a coin, tossing it into the corridor behind us. It stops at the exit, suspended in midair. As I watch, it begins to sizzle and spark. Without warning, it shoots back into the chamber with a pop, we duck, watching it vanish rapidly into the distance.

"Binding curse." Annie says. "You couldn't get any of this out of here alive. It's probably cast by the same people who cursed the gold at the other wizarding banks."

"Anything we try to take will do that? There's no way to break it?" I ask, frowning.

"Yes." Annie replies, "Maybe if it was poorly cast, but this one looks rock solid, probably better than what any bank has." She kicks some coins, watching them slide down the hill with a blank expression.

"It's almost like they want to shove it in our faces, making it this easy to find." I add.

"I think the tunnels change, I think we just got unfathomably lucky. Maybe you need to speak a special phrase, something to do with money." She looks out at the sea of wealth, "They could do so much more for the students with this, it pisses me off. Still, I wonder what kind of stuff they have locked away here."

"Do you want to explore it?" I ask, gesturing to the excessive hoard of treasure.

"After you." She says, bowing as she stretches out her arm in a gesturing motion.

We slip and slide through the mountains of treasures, marveling at the sheer volume of wealth. After a quick exchange, we conclude that it must have belonged to the Vendlewalt family. They had accumulated their family fortune for generations before turning their sprawling mansion into a prestigious wizarding university. Now it supports the school and its research, ensuring its continued existence. There was just so much, no wonder they hadn't moved it, it would have taken decades.

There are all manner of objects mixed in with the gold. From bejeweled swords to trophies--to statues of stone and what look like the remains of old castles, overflowing with chests and paintings.

We enter the first castle we come across, marveling at the brilliantly preserved tapestries and works of art whose colors twirl and mix the longer we look at them. Annie catalogued the rarities we come across, scribbling down notes and transferring pictures to the pages with her wand.

We pass over a sea of cut gems of every color of the rainbow, glittering in the light of the torches. We journey all the way to the center of the cave before we decide to take a break.

Annie sits on a gem encrusted throne, gesturing for me to do the same. I trudge over to her, sinking down into a second throne across from where she sits.

"This place is incredible." She says breathlessly.

I pant, wiping sweat from my forehead. "Yeah. I feel like--"

"--what's that over there?" Annie cuts me off, standing up and peering behind me.

Craning my neck to the side, I gasp in surprise. Two massive skeletons tower above us. Their forms entwining like snakes, upon closer examination, their skulls and limbs look concerningly human. I voice my concerns to Annie.

"No, look at their legs, their knees are like a cat's." She says.

"Some of the joints look off too." I say as we make our way closer.

"I've never seen any animal like this before." She pauses, "There's something on that one there." Annie says, walking between the skeleton's ribs.

"Annie!" I hiss after her, following her as she ignores me. She seems set on a pedestal in the center of the two skeletons. The air is heavy--ominous, I get the distinct feeling that we should avoid the remains completely.

"Look at this! What do you think did this?" Annie runs her hand along the base of the skeleton. Ruby stone is frozen in what looks to be a congealed leak from the side of jagged cut in one of the creature's ribs. "It's so curious, like the bone is bleeding a solid mass of gemstone."

I touch its glistening surface, it looks like melted wax formed from a pouring candle. Something had melted the skeleton's bones, their ruby interior dripping into the gold, forming a column, sparkling with the same ruby light. It's exquisite, something about it captures attention like nothing else. Annie clamores up the surface, hesitating only a second before breaking off a small piece. Her expression shifts, her eyes widening in surprise as she gazes at the stone, its ruby heart suspended in her hand. She licks her lips, suddenly dry as she stares at the gemstone.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

Annie starts, "No, it just reminded me of a stone in my mother's necklace is all." She flashes me a smile. "I think I want to keep it." She adds. She digs around in the gold until she finds a suitable chain, binding it to the necklace with a quick spell. Annie places the necklace around her neck, then tucks it under her shirt.

"Until the exit you mean." I say.

Annie's gaze was distant. "Oh--yes, just until we leave."

"Are you sure you're alright?" I ask.

"I'm fine. I've just wanted one like it for a long time. I was always jealous of the one my mom would wear." Annie says.

"Okay, no problem, that's good! Now let's get out of here, these skeletons are making my skin crawl." I say.

***

We continue through the maze of gold, gasping at the strange sights, adorning ourselves with crowns and ridiculous satin outfits that had once rode the shoulders of kings.

"You may refer to me as King Gallegos!" I cry, raising a sceptre. Annie bends over laughing before adjusting her crown, "And I, Queen Sendlewood, first of her name." She says in mock seriousness.

"May your reign be long Queen Sendlewood." I say haughtily.

"And yours longer King Gallegos." She says.

We start to make our way back, our legs growing weary from the long hike. Annie grows solemn, not speaking another word. I feel it too, all this wealth, it could solve all our problems, give us everything we want, but it's just out of reach. It's mocking us, challenging our greed and hope, shimmering in amusement at our depression.

I use Thomas's seeking charm to guide us back to the exit in the cavern wall, it rises as expected when I speak the phrase, floating slowly this time, traveling just ahead of us. We clamor up the hill, stopping in front of the dark corridor, its inky black depths welcoming our return.

"Well, that's that I suppose." I say, turning towards Annie. She has a strange expression on her face, as I watch it twists between one of fear and anger.

"Annie?" I say, "What is it?" I check behind me, my hair rising down the back of my neck. I turn my back to her for only a moment, and I hear a crescendo of sliding coins. I spin to see Annie running down the hill towards the castle, her leather boots kicking up gold.

"Wait! Come back!" I cry. I check behind me once more, fearful of what she may have seen in the dark hallway, then run down the hill after her.

My legs burn with fatigue as I stop in front of the ruins of a castle. I watch her run inside as if death itself pursues her. I make way through the cobblestone archway wearily, checking the torchlit corridors. I peer around ornate hanging tapestries, catching a glimpse of her white shirt. I sprint after her, dodging around corners and running up a flight of stairs. In the stillness I can hear the sound her feet makes as the treasure betrays her presence.

I find her standing at the edge of a bridge that extends over a sea of gold, her back is to me as she faces a dead end.

"Annie! Why did you run?" I yell. She stiffens as she hears my voice.

"Annie?" I ask in rising confusion.

She spins on me, her face contorted with fury. I take a step back, uncertainty growing in my chest.

"You dare! You dare try to take it from me!" She cries. She whips out her wand before I can react. There is the flash of a spell, I stumble backwards, my wand pulling itself from my hand and flying into her outstretched fingers.

"Annie... what? I don't understand!" I say desperately, "I don't want anything of yours!"

"Liar!" She screams.

"I'm telling the truth! Why are you--" I see it then beneath her shirt, the necklace glowing with an angry red light. What--

"I see you looking at it, thief!" Annie cries, "don't think I'll let you have it."

"Annie, something's wrong, take it off!" I say.

"Just as I thought." Annie laughs giddily, pulling out the necklace she clutches in a white knuckled fist. "I'll die before I let you take it from me." Annie hisses.

I take a step closer, "Annie please," I beg, "It has you under some kind of spell. You aren't acting in your right mind, you're scaring me."

She screams a spell, my leg goes numb as I try to jump out of the way. I collapse in a heap, my head swimming.

I see her foot fly over me in a blur-- I reach out, grabbing her ankle. Annie falls heavily, hitting the ground with a cry. I hold her down, I tear the wands from her clenched fist and throw them over the edge of the bridge. She struggles as I try to grab at her other fist that clutches the glowing stone.

"No no no! You can't have it! It's mine, it's mine!" Annie screams. I sit on top of her, pinning her wrists to the floor. She squirms beneath me, desperately trying to escape my hold.

"You aren't making any sense!" I cry.

She manages to free one of her arms as I try to pry her fingers open. Stars explode in my vision as she hits me square in the jaw. I taste blood and I growl, forcing aside the pain. I slam her hand into the stone. Annie doesn't seem phased, she snaps her teeth, trying to bite my arm like a rabid animal.

I finally manage to get my hand around the chain, I pull hard, hoping to free it from her grasp. Instead of breaking free, the chain comes to life, wrapping itself around my wrist like a living thing. I curse, pulling away in surprise. The other length of chain wraps itself around Annie's wrist.

"Monster!" She screams and kicks as the amulet comes loose from her hand.

It hangs in the air between us, suspended by either end of the chain that refuses to break. Try as I might to sever the golden thread, it remains around our wrists. The dizzying ruby glow from the necklace grows brighter. The chain digs into my skin, drawing blood. I cry out, trying to pull it off. Annie is shaking below me as unhinged laughter racks her body. Her face is contorted madness.

One instant my attention is on the necklace removing its searing golden thread, the next it somewhere else; Annie beneath me, her wild eyes wide in feverish desperation. I sway, disoriented, trying to remember what I had just been doing.

"What--" I start to say.

Annie takes advantage of my moment of weakness, twisting and rolling me onto my back, her arms pinning mine as she straddles me. I feel her grip tighten as the necklace digs further into our wrists. She pulls her fist back to hit me, then stops.

I stare into her eyes, her pupils widen, dilating in such a manner that only a thin sliver of her brown eyes are visible. Her mad grin falls away to one of shock.

I turn my head, ready for the strike, my eyes watering at the pain from my wrist.

I feel something warm and unexpected presses against my mouth. I open my eyes in surprise, Annie is kissing me, her eyes pressed tightly shut. I can taste the tea Annie had for lunch, the hint of cinnamon and honey. She stops, pulling away, her expression confused. I see blood running freely from her wrist. Dark lines are creeping up her arm as the stone pulses with its horrible light. It seems to be melting, flowing up the chain towards our arms.

"Annie!--" I try to warn her, but she kisses me again, this time it feels genuine. I find that I long to taste her lips--if only for a second. I relax into her, even as an uncomfortable heat begins to throb in my arm. I suddenly feel empty, as if I've forgotten to eat for days. Sweat runs down my brow, the hair all over my body stands straight. Annie's every touch feels electric. I try to pull away from her, to escape, but she pulls me tighter with surprising strength, pushing herself down against me with a deep intake of breath. My whole body grows alert to her slightest touch. I brush my skin against hers and shudder as I feel the soft hair of her arm spark against mine.

"Annie!" I groan, thrashing under her vice-like grip.

"Richard.." She thrusts her free hand into my pants, gliding around the line of my waist, entranced by the feeling of my skin. I cry out at the sudden violation, shivering as I feel her icy fingers moving lower.

"I feel so strange, no-- stay still." Annie murmurs, pressing the side of her face against me. Her skin is soft and slick with sweat. She tastes my ear, biting gently-- I groan as heat builds inside me, pouring from the necklace in an unbearable torrent. Her cheek rubs against mine, she presses her nose into my neck, nuzzling me.