Billy Owens and the Secret of the Runes

Mandy Finch:
Summer in Spirit River is my favorite time of year. Now, you probably think it's because we're off school, but no. It's quite the opposite. When summer comes around, me and my friends, Billy and Devon, get to go to a totally different type of school and spend time with our favorite teacher, Mr. Thurgood. Our mentor. The man who teaches us magic. And no, I don't mean "hocus pocus" kind of stuff. I mean real magic.

Danny Finch:
So Mould actually used to be one of your teachers?

Mandy Finch:
He wanted to get closer to the children of the town while he waited for the Prophecy of Eleven to be fulfilled.

Devon Turner:
That a child would be born on November 11th at eleven o'clock in the morning.

Mandy Finch:
And only on this child's eleventh birthday was he able to defeat Nemesius.

Danny Finch:
And that's the dragon you guys fought?

Mandy Finch:
Correct!

Danny Finch:
So he's waiting all that time for one more chance to try to get the treasure?

Billy Owens:
That's right.

Danny Finch:
And Kurt?

Devon Turner:
He's the school bully.

Mandy Finch:
More like the village idiot.

Katherine Owens:
I'm just not sure if Billy's ready. We all love Thurgood, but we can't lose our son.

Principal Gwendolyn Cups:
You won't. He's got the right friends. And he's got more power inside of him than he can even imagine.

Katherine Owens:
Thurgood had only just begun teaching them. What if they don't know everything they need to know?

Principal Gwendolyn Cups:
Isn't that part of good teaching? They'll have lessons to learn on their own. They're gonna have to teach and learn from each other.

Devon Turner:
Why do I have to carry this heavy thing?

Mandy Finch:
'Cause it's your job.

Devon Turner:
How is it my job?

Billy Owens:
I have to agree. The way I see it, that the commander of the natural has to be Danny with her way with animals.

Mandy Finch:
And the wizard of the supernatural just has to be Billy with his magic.

Devon Turner:
So what did they mean by unnatural?

Mandy Finch:
Well, that pretty much leaves you in the, um, undead department.

Devon Turner:
That's what I was afraid you were going to say.

Danny Finch:
So what exactly are runes anyway?

Devon Turner:
I only know one thing about runes. And that's that they're these mystical symbols that are kinda like an ancient Viking alphabet. And if you understand their different meanings well enough, you can cast spells with them.

Danny Finch:
Cool!

Mandy Finch:
According to legend, Odin, the chief of the Norse gods, speared himself to a tree in a self-sacrificial attempt to receive knowledge. While he hung suspended for nine windy nights, he learned the mysteries of the runes, which he then passed on to his people. The Nordic peoples have since revered the runic script as a true gift from Odin himself. It is believed that the similarity to...

Devon Turner:
Hold on. I said I knew only one thing about runes. Not that I wanted to know more.