Preface

There wasn’t much sound on the steps of the old Orphanage as Tobias Fletcher walked up to the main door and gave it a hearty rap. There was little sign of movement anywhere; the afternoon had passed into a glistening evening as the sun was committing to set in a brilliant explosion of pinks and reds behind the dirty old building of rustic peaks and towers. Finally, the heavy, brown, wooden door, scarred and aged, creaked open on the rusted, iron hinges and a rather severe looking woman, with thin, spindly features and cold, dark eyes peeked out.

‘Hello, Alice,’ Fletcher said smiling through what was growing into a rather bushy, black beard.

‘What do you want?’ was the disgruntled reply. 

Fletcher smiled politely. ‘I have come to enquire about a couple of your pupils,’ he explained in a kind tone.

‘What about them?’ Alice grumped.

‘I hear they are involved in some… inexplicable coincidences,’ Fletcher said, his hands held in front and intertwined in the long sleeves of his lengthy, blue robes.

‘What about it? If you don’t think I can handle it…’ she went to close the door harshly and grumpily.

‘Please, Miss Belfast!’ Fletcher implored, making Alice stop and peer at him through the mostly closed doorway.

‘Tobias, I told you fourteen years ago, I wanted nothing more to do with your kind-’

‘Then why not transfer them to my facility, where they will be given the training they need!’ Fletcher pleaded. 

Alice Belfast shook her head. ‘I can’t do that!’ she said, her well known temper flaring up, ‘I can’t hand over children for you to fill their heads with your crazy ideas! And your dangerous classes are another story all together!’ She was about to continue on but Fletcher held up a hand to silence her.

‘I only ask you to consider my proposition,’ he said, the smile gone from his face, replaced with a sad, but kind, look. ‘Unfortunately we both know all too well what happens when they remain untrained.’ 

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air for a moment.

‘I’ll consider it,’ Belfast said, looking resigned to the facts that Fletcher had placed before her.

‘That is all I can ask,’ Fletcher said, the smile returning to his face. ‘I will expect you to visit us soon. Shall we say in two months’ time?’

Miss Belfast nodded again. ‘Yes, I’ll arrange it,’ she said bitterly.

Fletcher turned and walked down the steps, and was about to leave when, ‘Tobias!’ Miss Belfast hissed.

Fletcher turned back to look at Alice. ‘Yes?’ he asked.

‘Please, don’t come here again. If the children saw you…’ she trailed off. 

Fletcher tried not to dwell on the fact that he was not wanted here, but smiled. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘if all goes well, you shall never see me again.’

With that he turned and walked a few paces down the road until he was sure Alice Belfast was no longer watching from the first story windows. He pulled out a long narrow wand from inside his robe and flicked it twice. Suddenly, a large oak door appeared in front of him! There was no wall, no building, just a large door-frame, and the thick wooden door. Fletcher reached again into his robes and produced a large ring of keys, all of different shapes and sizes. He located one that had two elegant letters, which made up the top portion of the key – an S and an M. He put the key in the door lock and, turning it, opened the door. He stepped through and was gone! The door-frame stayed for a moment longer, before, with a shuddering pop, it disappeared too!