Chapter 15: Harmony

The school was set out in a hexagonal shape on the side of a hill.

It was made up of seven domes split over three tiers. The largest dome in the middle level formed the hub. Tom was to learn that the ground floor held the massive dining room, the kitchens and many small recreational rooms and an Information booth.

The second floor was administration, staff and teachers’ offices, and storage rooms. The third floor held a vast library with several different types of study areas and a couple of conference rooms. The top-level was the auditorium.

On the top tier of the hill were two domes. One housed the wizards, and the other housed special magicians called Shields, the older students and visiting mages.

Either side of the Hub were the two training domes, and lower down the hill were two domes for the younger mages and the novices’ dorms. Other domes and buildings were scattered around the hillsides and the valley, and he would learn about them in time.

Sandy led Tom to the Hub and took him up to the second floor to see the headmaster. Tom was told to sit in a waiting area while Sandy had a whispered conversation with the secretary.

The longer he waited, the more nervous Tom became. He had been surprised to see the dining room that he had walked through on their way to this office had seemed empty and wondered where everyone was.

After what seemed like an hour, but he knew it wasn’t more than about fifteen minutes, he was shown into the headmaster’s office. The office was large, well-appointed and had a military air about it.

Tom suspected that magic had been used to get the inner walls so smooth and square. He liked the interesting feature of the back wall being part of the dome. It was a light and airy room. Tom realised the whole dome was air-conditioned.

His eyes lit on a very fit, barrel-chested man who was a few centimetres shorter than himself. His brown hair sported a military-cut. If he had to pick an age, Tom would say early-thirties. However, he knew that people who held magical items didn’t age the same as mundanes.

Headmaster Gary Carpenter was wearing a uniform that closely resembled an Australian Army dress uniform. Tom got the impression that the uniform was worn with comfort and familiarity.

Tom had learnt from Sandy that Gary had been on the Fortune when it had first come to Utopia from Earth. Gary had been a Sergeant in the Australian Army that was sent with Queen Lee and her husband, Captain Sean Watson, just over six years before his time on the Fortune.

Going by the aura around the man, Tom knew that the title he wore, was because he was a wizard rather than a Lord of a realm. He was delighted to meet a real live wizard. Despite the magical item he wore, Tom didn’t really think he was a wizard yet.

Tom began to feel nervous when the man looked him up and down and then walked around him while saying nothing. Tom began to wonder just how this school was run. Remembering boot camp for the Police, he straightened up, squared his shoulders, and looked forward.

Gary chuckled, “What is your background, boy?”

Tom guessed what he meant and stated firmly, “Police Academy, basic training and FYC, Brisbane, 2015 and 2016, Sir.”

Gary stopped in front of Tom and looked at him harder. “Well, you are a long way from home in both time and space. Not that this is the first time it has happened. How did you get onto the island?”

Tom couldn’t help himself, he smiled and said, “A city bus, sir. I got on the wrong one for my route.”

Tom was then surprised when Gary said to the air, “Lee, do you know about this time travelling bus?”

“A bus that travels through time and space? Do tell,” Lee’s voice asked.

“Um, can you tell me what year it would be on Earth?” Tom asked.

“It is the end of August, twenty-ninety-nine,” Gary said.

“So, I’ve gone back in time a year from when I was on the Fortune,” Tom surmised and hope it was long enough for him to learn what he needed to know.

“Why were you on the Fortune?” Gary asked.

Tom explained about rescuing Lorena and that it was the bus driver, Monte, who took him to the Fortune. He then told Gary that he couldn’t heal her as he wished even though he had claimed a magical box that helped him. So, Monte had brought him here so he could learn how.

“Why didn’t he bring you to me?” Lee asked.

Tom frowned, “Esky, he and his wife Tahoora are to be Lorena’s new parents. I don’t know why she was to go to them in a year from now, but then who knows why a crazy ghoul does anything?”

“Ghoul?” asked Gary perplexed.

“Well, he is either that or the ugliest dwarf I’ve ever seen. No disrespect to dwarfs or Prols. Sandy is an Adonis in comparison.”

Gary had to chuckle as Sandy was popular with the lady Prols, even though he already had two wives.

“So, I will appear to you in a year, on the Fortune and I’ve left some magical boxes on the Fortune so you can claim two of them,” Lee responded to that part of his story.

Tom took off his pack and pulled out the box. “Yes, there were twelve of them, and they look like this. Apparently, the boxes didn’t want you to know what was in them, but they let you put new spells on them and a bag of energy crystals in them.”

“So, apparently, I have to go on some mission to find these boxes from wherever it is that they are. Well, I was looking for something interesting to do today, so that seems as good a reason as any to go on an adventure.”

“There are a couple of planets I have meant to visit. At least I do have a year to accomplish this feat. By the way, what gems do you have?”

“Esky said I had the disciplines of Lore, Nature, Psychic, Energy and Physics and I have a special gem, but it isn’t yours. Apparently, I’m called a High Paladin.”

“Gary, you may want to see who we have available to give Tom a crash course in anatomy and magical healing. With those disciplines, it will need to be someone who is at least a High Mage with good healing abilities. Do you expect to be here for a full year, Tom?”

Tom had to think about that. For some reason, he felt that he didn’t have that long and that there was some other matter he had to deal with before he got back to heal Lorena.

He counted the months backwards in his head, and his gut clenched on four months. He did hope it was long enough. “Queen Lee, I think I only have four months, then I have to leave.”

“Well, we will see what we can do to assist you, young Paladin. I am sure to meet you before you go back. And please, it’s just Lee for you.”