Chapter 6

With wobbling steps, they followed Lady Radeyes down the corridor leading to the headmasters’ office. All too soon, they arrived at a door with a shiny gold plaque reading: Headmasters.

“Do you think there are two of them?” whispered Sapphire.

“You will remain silent outside while I inform the headmasters of your arrival,” said Lady Radeyes, all the while glaring at Sapphire with her piercing red eyes.

They stood in a straight line, discussing all the strange things that they had seen that day in a whisper, making a futile attempt at being quiet. Suddenly, Lady Radeyes was at their sides once more, saying “Amber, the heads would like to see you first.”

Amber nervously crossed the stretch of brightly polished floor leading into the office, knocked softly, and entered. Once inside, she stopped walking abruptly and her mouth dropped open, literally, for on the chair sat a genuine, two-headed person drinking ribena. Or was it blood? Anything was possible, considering his four pointed canine teeth. Suddenly, he took out a Gummy Worm… Wait a minute, was that a piece of dried meat?!?! And began eating it.

“Aah… Ms. Glassfire I presume? You must forgive my eating habits, I find it hard to control my hunger sometimes. Now, would you kindly sign your name here?” said the two heads simultaneously.

Amber took the quill nervously. “but… but… where’s the ink?”

“Nevermind… just write your name in the student record book. The ink is in the bowl.”
Amber dipped the tip of her quill into the bowl of rusty brown ink and began to write. The moment the quill touched the page, a piercing pain shot through her arm. It felt as though a hundred knives were slicing through her arm, making mincemeat of it. Droplets of blood appeared on her wrist, like dew on the leaves after a storm. An image of the meat pie she had just eaten rose unbidden into her mind, and she had to stifle a scream.

“Is there any problem, Ms. Glassfire?” enquired the headmasters, Lord Twinheads.

“N-no.” Amber resumed writing, gritting her teeth in an effort to ignore the pain. As soon as the letters of her name were formed in the book, the blood on her wrist mysteriously vanished, reappearing gleaming fresh on the pages of the book. Amber glanced at the names of other students written before her, now already faded a dark brown, and shuddered.

“Thank you, Ms. Glassfire. You can go now.”

Having been dismissed, Amber bowed and retreated to the common room through another door. Before long, the Darren and Azure joined her. They recounted similar stories about the blood. However, they were distracted by the dulcet tones of Matron Splitsplat’s voice as she entered the room.

“Hiya, new students! Welcome to the Tower of Merlin. Did you know that there are four different towers, each housing a different ring. We are called the Ring of Merlin, and you have the honour of joining us. The other Towers and Rings are called Vulture, Eagle and Falcon. I proudly announce that I, Matron Bloodie Splitsplat, am the matron of Tower of Merlin and the Guardian of the Ring of Merlin.
Puffing out her chest proudly, Matron Splitsplat left the room.