Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight by D. M. Fife
"Squire Firoth!" Sir Ranald called out from the front of the class. "Can you name the third and most powerful of the Shadows?"
Caught red-handed, Danny looked up with a dumfounded expression. "Um? "
"Gran," whispered Matt.
"A Gran Shadow," Danny said, after a moment of hesitation.
"I am glad you decided to rejoin us," rebutted Sir Ranald. Strolling down the middle aisle, he continued. "That is correct, a Gran Shadow. Squire Mickler, would you be so bold as to enlighten us with a few characteristics of this type of Shadow?" Stopping within a few feet of Matt's desk, Sir Ranald leaned over and placed his right hand on the edge of the desk.
Pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, Matt peered up. "Gran Shadows always appear humanoid in shape and size, from a distance; they can be confused with allies. Their solid forms differ from the smoky appearance of the Worker and Soldier Shadows. The Knights of the Light that lived to tell the tale often report their skin as pitch-black with the same colored hair and glowing blue eyes." A small smile stretched across Matt's face as he leaned back in his chair.
"A textbook description," said Sir Ranald, adding, "almost word for word." Erect once again, he continued his stride toward the back of the room. "Gran Shadows are the most powerful class of Shadow that we know about. Only the strongest of knights have lived to tell of their encounter and most do not live much longer after telling it. However, some believe that there is a fourth class of Shadow, one beyond the Gran. A class even more powerful, not one knight among the order has ever lived to tell about it."
A moment of silence passed within the classroom, as if Sir Ranald intended to add a dramatic effect to the weight of his words. However, the affect was cut short as the first chimes of the bells signaled the end of the class. Jumping up from their seats, the squires gathered their books and their belongings and prepared to leave.
"Remember, we will have a quiz next week!" Sir Ranald yelled over the rising noise.
Gathering up his own belongings, Danny turned to Matt. "How'd you know about the Grans?"
Matt produced a sly smile. "I'm a fast reader and I read ahead."
As soon as everyone was gone, Danny and Matt worked their way to the front to face Sir Ranald, his arms crossed, his gaze alternating back and forth between them.
"Both of you have been chosen to honor this school and become full-fledged Knights of the Light. Such an honor comes with a significant amount of danger, this class may someday see to your survival. You do understand this, I hope?"
"Yes, Professor Ranald," Danny and Matt said, almost in unison.
"Good, then you will understand why I expect a five-page essay on the subject we were just discussing, due by next week."
Matt let out a soft groan in response.
"I could easily make it ten, Squire Mickler," added Sir Ranald. After clearing his throat with a subtle grunt, he continued. "The next time I catch you two not paying attention, the punishment will be much more severe." With that, he turned his attention back to his desk, it was littered with disorganized parchments; he waved both boys away.
Matt's head drooped down as he turned to walk away; Matt stopped as he heard Danny speaking to Sir Ranald.
"Sir Ranald?" Danny asked.
"What is it, Squire Firoth?" Sir Ranald said as he continued to shuffle through the disaster that was his desk.
"Can we have a couple of passes to get into the archives so that we can research the subject in depth?" Danny asked, with a hint of a smile.
Sir Ranald looked up to meet Danny's steady gaze.
Danny replaced his smile with a flat expression very quickly.
After contemplating the request, Sir Ranald produced a smile of his own. "That is a good idea, Squire Firoth. The archives have invaluable information regarding the three classes of Shadows." Bending down, he pulled out a drawer on the left side of his desk, reached in and retrieved two small squares of red parchment. After jotting the necessary information down, in nearly unreadable scribbles, he offered them to Danny and said, "I look forward to reading what you have discovered." His eyes grew wider. "I could spend hours and hours in the archives, just researching and reading."
Danny noticed that he'd stumbled upon one of Sir Ranald's most cherished hobbies. "Thank you, Sir Ranald," he offered, before the blond-haired professor could ramble on.
"Uh, yes? of course, Squire Firoth," Sir Ranald said, looking a little disappointed. Regaining his composure, he returned to the tasks at hand, adding, "Next week, then. I shall expect both of your essays to be completed."
With that, Danny turned and shot Matt a quick smile, both boys left the classroom in a hurry. Holding the two small passes in front of him, Danny said, "Problem solved."
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