Thistlebloom and the Secrets of Brewer's Botanicals

Chapter Ten

While they were talking, the instructors were gathering the students and getting ready to travel up to the school.

'So where is the school?' Lysander asked.

Lucus stood up and motioned for Lysander to follow him out of the barracks. Once they had got outside Lucus pointed a long finger up to the top of a mountain. 'Up there.'

Lysander looked up to where he was pointing and could see the large white castle with towers that held purple flags. A large formation of clouds had gathered, and it looked rather gloomy. 'You're kidding, right? How on earth are we supposed to get up there?'

Lucus looked at Lysander and a broad smile crossed his face. Lysander thought it was about to split in two. 'Why are smiling like that? It's kind of creepy.'

'Because the part I've been waiting for is about to come.'

'When do we eat?' Lysander asked as he could feel the rumble in his stomach.

'They have a huge buffet in the great hall once we all get up there.'

Lucus led the way, and they stopped in front of what looked like a giant platform pulled by pulleys. Lysander watched as a group of students gathered on the platform. After a few seconds, it was pulled up the cliffside.

'You can't be serious? Is that thing even safe?'

'I'm sure it is.' Lucus said as he stepped onto the platform. Lysander put his toes on the edge of it and could feel it sway slightly under his foot. 'Can't I just walk up instead is there a path?' Lysander said as he looked around.

'Nope. Now get up here.' Lucus pulled Lysander onto the contraption by his arm and Lysander huddled against the railing gripping onto it.

'Are you always this chicken?' Lucus joked.

'I'm not too fond of things that might break and send me plummeting to my death.'

'Don't worry that only happened once.'

'What?!'

'I'm kidding.'

Lysander felt the platform jolt as he watched the cliff face behind me move. He didn't dare look over the edge though half the other students were Lucus included. 'Come look. See how high up we are.' Lucus said. Lysander shook his head and kept his eyes on his feet. He had to concentrate hard to keep the contents of his stomach down. Lysander had never been for heights. He never even rode a rollercoaster as a child.

'Nearly there.' said Lucus to a very green-faced Lysander.

'Thank god...' Lysander muttered.

Lysander let his eyes glance up slightly and he could see the tops of the trees as they climbed higher. They had to be one hundred and fifty feet up at least. Who decided to put a school on the tallest cliff? What if someone fell no way they would survive.

Lysander was certain he would be the first student to tumble off it, he was quite accident-prone. He managed to trip over his feet at least ten times since he arrived here.

'Here we are.' Lucus said as the platform came to a halt jolting them all into each other.

'Well, are you getting off or what?' said Lucus.

Lysander stepped off the platform and his legs wobbled as he did. Lysander looked up for the first time at Athenia. It was over one hundred acres and stretched further than he could see. There were woods behind it, and he was sure they stretched on for infinity. Large purple flags protruded from its towers. The whole school was blindingly white and surrounded by large bushes that were cut to resemble creatures. In the center was a giant fountain and its waters were a blue green. Lysander walked up to it and peered inside of it. There were strange fish with little antennas coming from their heads. They were rainbow-colored and quite ugly.