Nocturnal Academy 14: Infinite Times

Nocturnal Academy 14

Infinite Times

By

Ethan Somerville

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SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Storm Publishing on Smashwords

Nocturnal Academy 14

Copyright © 2016 by Ethan Somerville

www.stormpublishing.net

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Chapter 1

Madam Elliana Nocturna sat in her large, gloomy office with its ever-shifting shadows, typing furiously on her keyboard. The start of the new school year was fast approaching and she wanted to make sure everything was ready for the latest batch of the Earth’s defenders against the unholy hordes of the Immaterium.

Unfortunately, the person who was supposed to help her with all the yearly programs, lesson plans, new curricula and disciplines wasn’t answering his phone. Right now Madam Nocturna wasn’t unduly worried; the Vice Principal Professor Icarus Abbacus had always been an eccentric who worked to his own agenda.

Harley, Madam Nocturna called without looking up from her keyboard, where her gnarly, long-fingered hands were a blur of activity, Where is Professor Abbacus?

Not in residence, Headmistress, Harley answered politely – the same answer he’d provided her with every time she’d asked the question.

Madam Nocturna sighed. Well, he’d better get his metal butt back here pronto. There are only two weeks of the holidays left and I haven’t heard hide or hair from him since the end of last year! She finished her write-up with a flourish and hit save. Then she pushed her chair back from the desk and straightened up with a crack of various ancient bones.

Professor Abbacus often disappeared for weeks on end during the summer break, but in the past he’d always stayed in contact with the Australian Academy, reporting his whereabouts every few days. When he returned just before the start of term he was usually ready with the most detailed lesson plans she had ever seen. But perhaps he still hadn’t forgiven her for disappearing back to Italy that one summer, when she’d gone looking for a way to slow her accelerated ageing…

No, that had been four years ago now. But then Professor Abbacus was known for his grudges, which could sometimes reach epic proportions.

Suddenly Madam Nocturna’s desk phone rang, the old-fashioned receiver rattling in its cradle. She snatched it up. What? she growled.

Um, Elliana? queried a familiar but extremely uncertain voice.

Is that you, Harmon? I’m terribly sorry for being so rude, but I have rather a lot on my mind right now. What can I do for you? She pulled a hand through her long black hair with its one shimmering white stripe.

I know you’re very busy, Elliana, start of year approaching and all that, but we’ve … we’ve, well, encountered a bit of a problem. Actually it’s more than a bit of a problem. It’s really … quite serious.

What kind of a problem could there possibly be at the Nocturnal University that I could help with? she asked with more acid in her voice than she intended.

Oh, it’s not a problem at the Nocturnal University, Elliana – we have everything running relatively smoothly here - no, the problem is at the Moon’s Nocturnal Academy.

Madam Elliana drew in a shocked gasp and didn’t answer right away. The newest Nocturnal Academy, located on the Moon, had been running for decades, ever since it had been realised that the Earth’s natural satellite could become a possible staging post for invasions by various extra-terrestrial and extra-dimensional beings. However this post had always been very small and remote; staffed mainly by supernaturals of the celestial and astral variety. Only recently had the Nocturnal Moonbase started taking on supernatural students of other varieties. Work had just started on massive enlargements and improvements to the facility.

Still, it was a top secret facility, and only the Nocturnal Council and a few members of the Nocturnal University knew of its existence. And the people who worked there, of course. The only reason Madam Nocturna had any information was because of her close relationship with Lord Harmon Eldritch, a senior member of the Nocturnal Council. She hadn’t even known about Professor Abbacus’ involvement in it until Eldritch told her.

How can I help with the Nocturnal Moonbase? Madam Nocturna asked coldly. I know virtually nothing about it.

Lord Eldritch gave an embarrassed cough. I was hoping you could get hold of Icarus for us. We’ve been trying to call him for hours but he’s refusing to answer his phone.

I don’t know what you expect me to do! Madam Nocturna snapped. He won’t answer my calls either. He’s disappeared, and I doubt he’ll be back until he’s darn good and ready.

From the other end of the phone came a very loud sigh, and Madam Nocturna regretted shouting at Lord Eldritch like that. I’m sorry Harmon, but I have no idea where he is either. Harley assures me that he’s not here, and hasn’t been here since the end of last year. He went walkabout as soon as he finished Vladrakov’s palace and hasn’t been back since. What’s the matter, anyway?

It’s something of an emergency, I’m afraid. We’ve lost all contact with the Nocturnal Moonbase, and the rescue party we sent to investigate has disappeared as well. Professor Ashe has put his paw up for the next party, but we don’t want to send anyone until we can get hold of Professor Abbacus.

Madam Nocturna drew in a shocked breath. That is a worry. Alright – here’s what I’ll do. I’ll go down to Icarus’ lab and see if I can find any clues as to where he might have gone. Then I’ll call you back and let you know, alright?

Yes, thank you Elliana.

She replaced the receiver and sighed again. Why oh why did these debacles always have to happen at the most inopportune times? Blast you Icarus, she grumbled. Why couldn’t you have told anyone where you were going?

She strode from her office and down the wide main hall of the Nocturnal Academy. It was the dead of night, but still about twenty five degrees. During the day it had topped forty, with the sun blazing down from a coppery blue sky without a single cloud in sight. Appleton hadn’t seen rain for months, and the surrounding bushland was tinder-dry. In order to pre-empt a catastrophic bushfire, Madam Nocturna was considering casting a few weather spells to conjure up some rain. She didn’t want to take any chances. Disasters always weakened the membrane, allowing imps and demons to take advantage.

In the side passage she paused in front of the complicated security panel and punched in the access code. Idly she wondered why it was still necessary to have such protection. Professor Abbacus didn’t keep his portal to the Immaterium open anymore and he hadn’t mucked around with the Mirror of Albiroth since the mysterious Rhys Kelly’s arrival.

But who was she to argue with his paranoia? The lock disengaged and she pulled the heavy steel panel open. It slid aside with a horrible grinding noise; obviously no-one had been down here for weeks.

Madam Nocturna hitched up her filmy spider-web gown and glided down the steps into the labyrinthine basement. She noticed with no real surprise that Professor Abbacus had rearranged the route to his underground laboratory again, this time making sure everyone had to take the longest possible path. "Oh Icarus, could you possibly be anymore infuriating?" she muttered as she hurried through the seemingly endless underground maze.

But she had an impeccable sense of direction and reached the massive steel door to his lab only a minute or two later. It was locked. And covered with runes. "Oh, you must be kidding! she declared out loud. What is your problem?" She raised her hands and started to chant. It took her several more minutes tear down his protection. Fortunately he hadn’t put one up that wasn’t beyond her repertoire. He could have. She had realised long ago that he was more powerful than her, having mastered Seventh Circle spells that she could only dream of. And even Eighth Circle ones that he knew how to cast without the necessary human sacrifice.

Madam Nocturna suppressed a shudder as she reached out and clawed the last dark mark from the metal door. The graffiti dissolved beneath her fingers and vanished into the ether. She unlocked the door and pushed the heavy metal door inwards with a mournful creak.

The laboratory beyond lay in darkness. It smelled musty and disused. Madam Nocturna blinked, her supernatural vision adjusting to the gloom to make things out in various shades of grey. Methodically she made her way through the deserted lab, looking for something that would give her an idea as to where Professor Abbacus had gone. She checked each abandoned experiment, papers left scattered on desks, drawers with cables hanging out, cabinets with open doors and even his battered old trolley. It appeared to be full of compression cubes, his broad-brimmed hat and scarf lying on top.

Odd, she thought. He never goes anywhere without this.

She made her way deeper into the dusty laboratory, noticing with no real surprise that he’d made it even larger since her last visit. She had told him that he could increase his subterranean space, but he seemed to have taken that permission to the absolute extreme; she noticed an unfinished staircase leading down, and doors to new rooms he hadn’t yet completed. But as to his actual whereabouts … she didn’t find a single idea until she reached the alcove where he kept that abominable Mirror of Albiroth.

She had always hoped on some level that he would get rid of that vile thing, but there it was; completely inactive but somehow all the intricately carved monsters bordering it still seemed to glare malevolently at her. She scowled at it as she approached, annoyed that she couldn’t see anything through its dark glass.

Then she could have slapped herself. Of course she couldn’t see anything. There was not enough light to provide her with a reflection. She glanced around the alcove, noting the silent stand-alone computer, the various cables straggling across the floor to the mirror, and the odd, humped shape slumped in one corner against a tall cabinet full of components.

Madam Nocturna did a double-take. What on Earth was that? Had her undead heart still needed to beat, it would have been racing. Even so she experienced a sudden surge of dread.

Cautiously she approached the shape. "Harley, can you please turn on the lights?"

She must have caught him by surprise. What? Oh! Yes, of course. Sorry, Madam Nocturna. The lab’s lights came on, flooding the area in a jaundiced glow that didn’t do a lot to banish all the creepy shadows from the corners.

Madam Nocturna was used to creepy shadows. Her office was full of them. But they weren’t what made her gasp and take a step back in horror.

The humped shape in the corner had resolved itself into a figure in a purple leather overcoat, seated curled up with its arms wrapped around its knees, its head resting on top. There was a fine layer of dust on it, as though it had been there for several weeks.

Madam Nocturna raised her gaze to the ceiling. Harley? she called with more than a little note of disapproval in her voice.

Yes, Madam Nocturna?

She pointed a quivering finger. "What the hell is that?"

That, Madam Nocturna, is Professor Abbacus’ body.

She clenched both hands into fists. You told me he wasn’t here!

But he isn’t here, Madam Nocturna, Harley responded in his annoyingly mild tone. "Like I said, that is just his body."

Madam Nocturna opened her mouth to explode at him and then closed it. How the heck could she respond to that? He was right of course. Even though she didn’t need to do so, she took several deep breaths. And just in case she still wanted to rampage down to the mainframe room and rip out a few circuit-boards, she counted to ten. "So where, exactly, is Professor Abbacus himself?"

I’m sorry Ma’am, but I don’t know. He didn’t tell me where he was going. He just left. He sounded genuinely apologetic, so Madam Nocturna decided not to blow her stack at him. Instead she walked over to the hunched form of Professor Abbacus’ body and touched his shoulder.

Icarus, she called. Come on, we need you back here. She gave him a vigorous shake. She stepped back and he fell to the floor with a very loud metallic crash, and his arms and legs splayed out at all sorts of odd angles. She waited for him to return, as he always did after his body was disturbed. But he didn’t. His body remained sprawled on the floor, still and silent. The red light that normally shone from his right eye-socket was gone, and his human one had rolled back into his head. Ooohhh dear, said Madam Nocturna. I may need a little help with this one.

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Chapter 2

Alice Dibble turned to Andre Sauvage. Are you sure about this? she asked softly.

He beamed her a brilliant, white-toothed smile. "Of course I’m sure! I want to meet your parents. Your Mum and Harry sound absolutely lovely! They certainly beat what I had to endure growing up!"

Alice coughed and shifted uncomfortably. Recently Andre’s Dad Marcel had been trying his hardest to make up for lost time; showering his only child with love and presents and an international cruise the likes of which only the super-rich normally enjoyed. It had taken all of Alice’s persuasion to convince Mr Sauvage to release Andre for the last two weeks of the school holidays so he could spend some time with her. Come on Alice, he insisted.

Alice took a deep breath. Alright – I believe you. But please don’t be disappointed by our mouldy walls, mismatched furniture and general clutter.

"Alice, I told you it would be alright!"

She took his hand, squeezed it, and led him through the rickety front gate of number 12 Pink Lady Lane.

The house that Alice had grown up in was something of an anachronism in this inland Australian town; a two-story dwelling with a pointy roof far better suited to a cold, damp English countryside. The garden had seen better days; full of the best intentions but overgrown because Marlene Dibble simply didn’t have the time to tend to it anymore. The walls needed a coat of paint, the lawn needed mowing and the edges needing weeding. But it was very pretty with lots of different flowers growing wherever they could, and even though Alice was thoroughly embarrassed, Andre clasped his hands together.

I don’t know what you’re so worried about, Alice – it’s gorgeous!

It’s a dump. I’m sure your place is a palace.

"Yes it is a palace, Alice – but this is a home."

Alice opened her mouth to respond and realised that