Susan Wylde and the Circus of Magic

By S.G. Eastment

Can Susan Wylde survive the magical creatures of the Circus of Magic?

Having defeated the Ghosts of Halloween, Susan Wylde is back at Wonderworks School of Magic for the Easter term to learn more magic. Susan soon learns they are going to Prague to visit the world-famous Circus of Magic, but not all is as it seems at the Circus, people are disappearing, monsters are attacking, and someone sinister at the Circus is promising a show that no one will ever forget.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S.G.Eastment
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

THE WINGED LIONS

What is it? shouted Robert Hallow.

I don’t know, Susan Wylde shouted back, I am more worried about not being eaten by it.

I think it’s a lion but it’s got wings, said Robert.

Duck! shouted Susan.

A duck? said Robert, I don’t think it is.

No, duck as in getting your head down, shouted Susan, now!

Susan and Robert fell to the floor just as the winged lion reached out its claws where their heads had been a moment ago.

Susan and Robert weren’t entirely surprised at being attacked by monsters because they were both students at Wonderworks School of Magic, and already in their first term, they had faced phantom hounds, headless horsemen, poltergeists, and banshees.

Will we ever have any peace at school? asked Robert.

It was a fair question to ask, Susan had to admit.

Only last term, Susan had learnt that she was a witch and had gone to Wonderworks to learn magic. Even before she had started school she had nearly been eaten by a white dragon that had landed outside her house.

Susan had then been shocked to find her mother was a witch, and her father was a wizard. Susan’s parents had been great wizards, but her father’s memory had now gone, and her mother had died when Susan had been very young. Susan now lived with her father and her grandmother.

Her grandmother had been very proud that Susan had been accepted at Wonderworks School of Magic, though she had been very worried about Susan going.

Only later had Susan found out why.

To her shock, Susan learnt that both her parents had been great Warlock Hunters. They had managed to defeat and capture some of the most powerful wizards and witches in the world. Then they had faced the dark witch Sinistra who had been defeated and captured, but only after Susan’s mother had died and her father had lost his mind.

Unsurprisingly, Susan’s grandmother didn’t want Susan to go to Wonderworks to learn magic at all. She was afraid that something terrible would happen to Susan as had happened to Susan’s parents.

Nevertheless, her grandmother had agreed to allow Susan to go to Wonderworks to learn magic, even though Susan’s grandmother had been right, learning magic could very dangerous indeed. Only last term, before Christmas, Susan had faced ghostly hounds, living skeletons, and the spectral Wild Hunt before preventing Halloween from lasting forever.

Susan had hoped, though only half-hoped, that she would have a quieter term at Wonderworks School of Magic. As soon as the winged lions had appeared, that hope had gone.

Despite being attacked by winged lions, Susan was really glad to be back at Wonderworks School of Magic, though she had a great Christmas, not a day had passed when she hadn’t thought of Wonderworks.

Susan loved being home with her father and grandmother, but it was also often a sad place to be. Her father was very ill and dying, he had lost his memory and increasingly did nothing at all. Susan still hoped that somehow there was some magic out there that could save her father.

Before last summer, Susan had never realized that she could learn magic, or that magic even existed?

Despite facing dragons and poltergeists and banshees and pumpkin-headed zombies, Susan had missed Wonderworks terribly. She missed all her magic lessons, learning new spells, Wonderworks castle which stood on a floating island that flew from country to country, she missed the teachers (apart from Professor Hogweed), she even missed the monsters in a way. Above all, she missed all the magical places they visited and her best friend Robert Hallow.

Susan was an introvert, she liked solitude, she liked walking in the countryside or staying home and reading a book or surfing the internet rather than going to a big party. Susan liked people but mostly she liked being around a few close friends, she liked time to reflect and to think, and to reflect on her own feelings and thoughts. Some people thought she was shy and aloof but that wasn’t true, she simply had a very vivid imagination and world within her mind.

She had enjoyed Christmas and New Year very much, but now it was the beginning of January and at last, time to return to Wonderworks. Susan had been worried the last term that she was going to be expelled after releasing a lot of ghosts in and around Wonderworks when they had gone to Ireland.

She had hoped to have a quieter term now after Christmas but the school had only just started and they seemed to be in trouble again.

The winged lions looked just like lions except for large, leathery bat-like wings sprouting from their powerful shoulders.

The winged lion opened its mouth and a ball of flame shot towards Susan.

Shield! shouted Susan just in time as the ball of fire struck the shield.

The other winged lion swooped down, its claws stretched out. Susan was only able to duck in time.

Magic Bolt, shouted Robert, raising his hand. A bolt of bright red light flew from his hand towards the lion. The winged lion roared in anger as the magic bolt struck it.

The other winged lion now tried to swoop down, it breathed fire again at Susan, but she cast another shield spell and the flame dispersed harmlessly around her.

Stun! cast Robert at the winged lion, the spell struck its face and it shook its head angrily.

Susan now cast a bolt of magic as well, striking the winged lion.

The two lions roared in anger and flew away.

They’ve gone, said Susan, feeling exhausted.

What were they? asked Robert.

I’m not entirely sure, said Susan, they looked very similar to manticores.

Manticores? said Robert.

Yes, said Susan, she loved reading books on monsters, they are most common in places like Iran. Manticores have the bodies of lions and bat-like wings, said Susan, but they have human-like faces and spiked tails and don’t breathe fire!

Susan thought they looked more like a cross between a giant bat and a lion.

I am not worried they didn’t have spiked tails, said Robert, their claws and bite were bad enough!

Susan, however, couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Had someone had tried to create creatures similar to manticores but not quite the same? But why would they want to do that?

Those creatures look as if they came from a circus, said Robert.

What do you mean? said Susan.

There are magical circuses, said Robert, they always have strange and spectacular magic in them, including sometimes monsters.

What is the meaning of this? said a sharp voice behind them, Assembly starts in a few minutes, you should be inside in the Great Hall.

Susan and Robert jumped. They hadn’t heard anyone approaching. They turned to see Professor Hogweed, their least favourite teacher in Wonderworks School.

Look at this mess, complained Professor Hogweed.

It was caused by the winged lions, said Susan.

Is that so? said Professor Hogweed in a tone that obviously showed he didn’t believe a word of what Susan had said.

Professor Hogweed, said Robert, we were attacked by lions with wings!

Susan had hoped for a very brief moment because she had saved the school last year that Professor Hogweed would take her seriously.

Lions with wings? said Professor Hogweed incredulously.

Yes, said Susan, she had a sinking feeling that Professor Hogweed was not going to take her seriously at all.

Lions that fly indeed, snorted Professor Hogweed, more likely pigs that fly!

Susan loved everything about Wonderworks, even meeting ghosts or monsters didn’t worry her, but she didn’t like Professor Hogweed at all.

It doesn’t look like us saving the school last term is going to change anything, said Robert glumly as they followed Professor Hogweed down to the Great Hall