3

‘’But… I’m no wizard. This must be some sort of a mistake.’’

The man said nothing, all he did was enter the largest building on the street, the outside had golden arches, with white columns.

Jimmy looked around in awe, not because of how clean the place was but because there were people, books and a few other items flying around.

‘’What is this?’’ Jimmy asked.

‘’The magical world of Langdale, you are currently at the only bank in Langdale. Langdale’s first national bank.’’

Jimmy stopped and stared at a man who was as tall as the ceiling, he had to slouch as to not hit his head on the chandelier.

‘’Wow,’’ Jimmy said after passing a milky white horse that had a horn in the middle of its forehead.

‘’Unicorns don’t like to be stared at.’’

‘’But unicorns aren’t real,’’ Jimmy answered.

A grey colour unicorn with bright pink mane and tail turned its head to look at Jimmy. He pawed the golden tiled floor and lowered its head as if ready to charge at him.

The man stepped between them. ‘’Sorry Rage, he is new to all this.’’

‘’Such disrespect.’’

 ‘’You have to keep your comments to yourself boy, unicorns are only pleasing to the eyes.’’

They finally stopped at a counter, the woman there incited fear inside Jimmy, and her being chained by her scaly snake’s tail didn’t help.

The woman had snakes for hair, four arms and green slimy skin.

‘’Here to make a currency exchange,’’ the man told the snake lady.

‘’How muchhh?’’ her voice hissed the question out.

‘’Can I get your banking details kid?’’

‘’My what?’’

The man was the one to dig around Jimmy’s bag until he found what he was looking for.

He pulled out a small blue book and a credit card, which he handed over to the woman behind the counter.

‘’Wow, if you need a girlfriend, I have a little ssssissster your age.’’

‘’Gorgons,’’ the man said as if cursing.

The woman quickly wrote on a paper then asked Jimmy to sign.

Jimmy paused after seeing the amount of money written, there were more zeros than he could count.

‘’What’s this?’’ Jimmy asked.

The man peeked and his eyes widened.

‘’Wow kid, Pan seemed to have left you a great fortune.’’ was all he said.

‘’Who is Pan?’’ Jimmy asked.

He got a strange look from all those in earshot.

‘’What? Your father of course.’’

‘’You knew my father?’’

‘’Well yes. Who wouldn’t know who Pan is? He is the reason this place is still standing, he figured out what the Gens were planning and stopped them before things could get out of hand.’’

Jimmy shook his head. ‘’My mother told me that he died in a fire long before I was born.’’

The man rested his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. ‘’I’m sorry to hear kid, but if it makes you feel any better, I never met my father either.’’

Jimmy said nothing then went back to staring at the piece of paper and tried to read the digit of numbers written, because he didn’t notice it written in words at first.

‘Seventeen, hundred thousand million. No, that’s not right.’

Then he spotted the words.

‘’Seven hundred million dollars! Where did I get that much money from?’’

The man laughed. ‘’Your father, I have never seen anyone with so much money before. Not even the Griffens and they are supposed to be the richest family in Langdale.’’

‘’But how did he get all this?’’

‘’Oh, well… your father worked for a shadow organization that was exclusive to only a few wizards and each time he was successful, he got a reward. He once saved a high priest in the Monos world and got paid in Monos’s currency.’’

‘’Monos’s currency, what’s that?’’

‘’Monos’s currency… hmm. I don’t quite know how to explain it honestly. But it is money humans uses, and because the money is made of materials which have become rare in Langdale and what we need for certain potions, it is melted and the person with this currency will get ten times more than its worth.’’

Jimmy shook his head at the man because he had just explained it to him.

‘’The ssslip pleassse,’’ the gorgon said.

‘’Sorry,’’ Jimmy handed it back to her and she made a few stamps on the paper.

‘’Take thisss to Mr. Greenbolt. He will help you with your account and a persssonal vault.’’

‘’Why do you keep saying Monos?’’ Jimmy asked.

‘’Oh, that’s what we call people without magic.’’

Jimmy looked down at his hand. ‘’Than I’m a Monos, because I don’t have magic.’’

The man pointed at the gorgon. ‘’Those creatures hate humans, and trust me, if you were one it wouldn’t hesitate to sink it’s claws into your neck. And stop with all the I’m just human, it’s really annoying.’’

They got to Mr. Greenbolt, and the process didn’t take as long as Jimmy had thought it would.

All he had to do was confirm he was Jimmy Willian, sign a few more papers and that’s it.

‘’Let’s go get your supplies.’’

‘’How did you even know I had nothing that was required?’’ Jimmy asked.

‘’I would say just a wild guess, but, the way you’re dressed and the one bag pack which I assume only have maybe two shirts and a pair of jeans pants. Plus, Pong called a head and told everyone that a special boy was coming. We just didn’t know it was you, Pan’s son.’’

Once again Jimmy and the man was on the street, and with Jimmy not paying much attention, he bumped into a man.

‘’Sorry,’’ Jimmy squealed after looking up at the large man before him.

‘’I’m sorry as well, I should have watched where I was going,’’ a boy about Jimmy’s age said.

Jimmy blinked at the boy, thinking about how odd he looked. His face was too small for his long nose, he had green hair and black shiny eyes.

‘’Mr. Griffen,’’ the man Jimmy was with said.

‘’Lambert, of course this scruffy little thing belongs to you.’’

‘’He’s not reall—‘’

‘’Save it and make sure your little ratty thing doesn’t come near my child again. I don’t want your poorness to rub off on him and can’t imagine the parasites this one must have.’’

The little boy with Mr. Griffen held his head down.

‘’Come on Petar, we have to get going before the train gets too crowded.’’

‘’Sorry about that kid, come on and let’s get you your school supplies.’’

‘’Sure thing, Lambert.’’

Lambert laughed. ‘’That man says my name as if he thinks it is a mockery, but I’m proud of it. That name has been in my family for generations and will remain so even after I have passed.’’

‘’My mom named me after her uncle, he was in the loony house before passing and she thought that the only way to honor him was to name her child after her late uncle.’’

‘’Touching, I had an uncle in the loony house as well. His spell backfired on him, and he hasn’t been right in the head since.’’

Lambert entered the most prestigious store, thinking that as a son of Pan, Jimmy deserved nice things. He also thought that it would be funny to see the shock look on Mr. Griffen’s face when they enter the store.

‘’You can pick out whatever you want,’’ Lambert told him.

‘’But what do I need?’’

‘’You have got to be kidding me, why is someone like you in here? This shop isn’t for the poor.’’ Mr. Griffen came forward with his son Petar.

‘’Just use your list,’’ Lambert told Jimmy, ignoring Mr. Griffen.

Mr. Griffen laughed. ‘’I’m surprised that the kid won’t have hand-me-downs like you did.’’

Lambert took his insults with a smile.

‘’Come on Jimmy.’’

‘’I need robes, parchment paper…’’ Jimmy stopped. ‘’I don’t understand anything on the paper. Don’t I only need pens and books?’’

‘’No, let me just walk you around the store. Give me your list.’’

Lambert led Jimmy over to the robe section.

‘’We have new arrivals,’’ a voice said.

Jimmy looked around for where it came from, then a black robe with a purple silk cloth underneath and golden trims around the arms and front caught his eyes.

‘’Can I get this one?’’ Jimmy asked, looking up at Lambert.

‘’Sure, the rules are that as long as the outer fabric is black then it’s ok. But you’ll need more than one.’’

So, Jimmy picked out four more.

‘’Those robes are way out of your budget, don’t you think?’’ Mr. Griffen asked. ‘’You should put them back young man, else there will be no dinner for your father for a year.’’

Mr. Griffen looked at the tag for the price because he was going to buy a few for his son.

‘’A thousand crimson kogude, just for one robe? Quite atrocious. You would be better off over there boy, I saw robes that cost one hundred silver fluant. Assuming your father can afford it.’’

Jimmy said nothing to correct the older man about Lambert not being his father.

Jimmy picked up matching hats, seeing that the rules required it.

‘’You will also need clothes for whenever you aren’t in classes, oh and you wear them under your robe, so you definitely need clothes.’’

Lambert smiled a bit after seeing how happy Jimmy was running around the store and picking out all that he liked.

Neither of them had had that privilege before.

Mr. Griffen turned his nose up when he saw Jimmy and Lambert walking towards them at the counter.

He shook his head. ‘’Such a shame, what are you going to tell the boy after you filled his head with hope and can’t afford any of those things?’’

The man behind the counter who have a snake on his shoulder began to ring up the stuff Mr. Griffen got for Petar.

‘’No, let this man and his boy go first,’’ Mr. Griffen smiled, wanting to taunt them more.

The man moved with lightning speed from a spell he cast on himself.

‘’The total is one hundred thousand crimson kogude and ten thousand silver fluant.’’

Mr. Griffen laughed but choked after seeing Jimmy pulling out a platinum krone. He suddenly grabbed his arm.

‘’Where did you get this?’’

‘’My life is none of your business, and before judging people get to know them!’’ Jimmy said.

‘’Come Jimmy, we need to get more things and the day isn’t getting any younger.’’

Lambert stopped. ‘’You’ll need luggage.’’

Jimmy simply pointed at a brown color luggage set and got it without hesitation.

They got to the book store, with Mr. Griffen and Petar not too far behind.

He got his text books, all were on how to cast spells, mix herbs to heal people naturally, defend against dark magic, mystical creatures and history about the magical world.