Unbroken: Mage's Academy II

by Finley Morrow

  "Can I ask you something?" He said, his hand touching my arm and pulling me to a stop.

  "Of course," I answered.

  "Will you meet me tomorrow night in the ruins?" He said, staring at me through dark lashed.

  "Sure," I said. If he was asking me on a date, he had a weird way of doing it.

  "Meet me at 8pm by the standing stones. I have something we need to discuss." He said.

  "That sounds serious," I felt a pit in my stomach. He was a teaching assistant now, and I was a student. Was he going to tell me that it was wrong for us to be together?

  "It is." He said plainly.

  "Okay, I'll see you there," I answered and he started walking away. That wasn't reassuring. I had no idea what was in store for me there.

  3

  A feeling of excitement filled me when I woke up the next morning. The events of the day before were forgotten as I pulled my full leather backpack onto my shoulders. There was something hopeful about the first day of school. A full year of learning magic was in front of me, and I couldn't help but anticipate what it would bring.

  I didn't have any classes with my roommates this year so after getting ready, I headed to class on my own. The bonfire would be tonight after I met with Kairn in the ruins. I at least had that to look forward to. I tried to pretend that he wouldn't break my heart tonight. Crossing the long paths of campus, I headed into a large building that held the upper-level classes. It was grand, with soaring stained glass, huge torches hanging on the wall and a tower that peered down on the Academy. Portraits hung on the walls that depicted Mages from many years ago to Mages from recent years.

  My first class of the day was Alchemy. It was held in a beautiful classroom on the east side of the building. It had so much natural light flooding in through the huge leaded glass windows. I took a seat at one of the workstations in the second row. Some of the lab setups in the back already had bubbling brews with clouds of colored vapors. I picked an unused seat. I wasn't sure what was in front of me. There were several strange objects I'd never laid eyes on before. There were large beakers with spiraling glass tubes that led from one chamber to another. Some were see-through, but others were opaque. There were round, cut black gemstones of unknown origin on each station as well.

  Students filtered in as the time drew closer to the start of class. A woman with wild curly brown hair walked into class quietly. She had to be the teacher, although she didn't look much older than twenty-five. She wore thick-rimmed black glasses that made her eyes look permanently startled. When she spoke, her voice was high and sweet like a songbird.

  She looked as if she was surprised that we were all here. "Is everyone here for Introduction to Alchemy?" Everyone in the class nodded. "Right," She shuffled a few papers on her desk until finding what she wanted to. "I suppose we'll get right to it then. I'm Professor Imogen Henbane and I'll be leading you in this course. Can anyone define Alchemy for me?"

  Aria was sitting in the same row as me but across the room. She raised her hand and Professor Henbane called on her. "IT's like turning things into gold right?" She said casually, with an air of disinterest. It wasn't my place to guess why she was so eager to answer the question if she was truly that disinterested.

  "Not exactly, but you're on the right path," the young professor corrected gently. Aria scowled and Professor Henbane pretended not to notice. She continued. "Alchemy is the art of transmutation." She wrote transmutation on the board in large graceful letters. "In one way you are correct, substances can change from one form to another by using this process. You are familiar with the luminous ether, correct?" She asked.

  We all nodded. That had made up the bulk of our philosophy of magic course last year.

  "Good," She said, "For the purpose of Alchemy we'll imagine the Luminous Ether like a giant mirror. Everything that exists is a reflection of its corresponding part in the Luminous Ether. Now imagine that you have a piece of paper with some words written on it. You would like to change the words. Can you change them by writing on the mirror? NO. You have to go to the source."

  She took a large piece of paper and drew a symbol on it before attaching it to the chalkboard. Then she pulled out a lump of dark metal. "This is the symbol for lead, a base substance that exists in our world. Now if I want to transmute it into gold. I have to follow some steps. I have to access the luminous ether and read the symbol for lead, then I have to change it." She erased the symbol on the paper and replaced it with another. "This is the symbol for Gold. By using the language of the gods we can change the divine patterns in the luminous ether which will then reflect in our physical world."

  We were all taking notes, scribbling furiously to capture what she was saying.

  I raised my hand and waited for her to call on me.

  "Yes, what is your name?" She asked apologetically.

  "Esther Crenshaw," I answered.

  "Okay Esther, what's your question?"

  "How do we get to the luminous ether to find these formulas?" I asked, feeling a deep sense of curiosity.

  "That's a great question," She smiled. "And it is also our first assignment." There was shuffling in the class as people prepared to dictate the homework. "The first step is to cast a hallow that you can stay in for extended periods. For starters, I would like each of you to practice casting a hallow that you can hold for at least 30 minutes." There were incredulous sighs from the other students as people absorbed the information. IT was difficult for many of my classmates to hold a hallow for that long. Aria had been in Practical Thaumaturgy with me last year and I knew she had struggled to get it past three minutes in some cases.

  Last year however I had discovered that I could cast a hallow that felt like a grand room on the inside. It was very simple for me to sustain, although I had to remember that most of the time I'd had Kairn to help me. A sharp flash of anxiety hit me. What did he want to discuss with me? My attention was drawn back to class when the bell rang. I gathered up my bag and headed out the door.

  As soon as I headed out the door, I was caught by a hand on my shoulder. It was Professor Malus, or Headmistress Malus actually. Her eyes were stern and her expression sharp, "Esther, I need to see you in my office."

  Why was it always me? I couldn't possibly have gotten myself into trouble on the first day... right? I followed her out and to the small building where the Headmaster's office had been last year.

  "What is this about?" I asked tentatively.

  "Nothing bad," She assured me. "We have of the North American Consortium for Magical Schools here to learn more about your unfortunate experiences last year."

  "I see," I nodded and followed the headmistress to her office.

  It was decorated in a whole new way. It was much colder and more sterile, not unlike the dungeon classroom that Professor Malus had held classes in last year. The stone floor was bare without the cushion of a rug and the bookcases were filled with books, but now belonging to the new headmistress. I sat in the hard-wrought iron seat across from her desk and we waited. It reminded of that time, that felt very distant now when I sat in the Principle's office at my old high school.

  Alice Mistlethwaite walked through the door and breezily took a seat next to me. "Esther, it is so lovely to see you," She said, staring at me with a sharp cat-eye ringing her lids. "How are you doing?"

  "I'm okay," I said smiling. All things considered, I really was okay. I was better than I had ever been really, except for what had happened last year.

  "Headmistress, would you mind giving us a few moments?" Alice asked sweetly.

  "Not at all," I have to make a visit to a classroom, so you can feel free to see yourselves out when you are ready.

  "Thank you," Alice smiled, shaking hands with Professor Malus.

  The headmistress walked out of the room and softly shut the heavy door behind her. I heard the heavy thud of the wood when I turned to see that Alice was looking at me with great concern.

  "Now then, Esther, if you don't mind I need to
know what happened last year." She said, her tone heavy.

  I let out an involuntary sigh. "It's still kind of confusing for me, "I explained, but started anyway. "When classes began I was introduced to the headmaster. Throughout the semester he seemed to take a special interest in me. He kept pulling me into his office and asking me about binding. Eventually, he began to insist that I had to be bound to a God or Goddess or else my powers would become volatile. Finally, he gave me a ritual to use to summon a deity that would bind with me. Only it turned out to be a demon summoning ritual. Something was protecting me though, some time of fire inside me, because I received burns when I made contact with the demon."

  "Burns?" She raised an eyebrow.

  "Yes, the sigil of the demon reacted violently to my skin and burned up," I replied. I wasn't sure if I should mention Kairn. Did the others at the school know about him as well?

  "You received aid from your advisor is that right?" She began again, taking notes in a leather-bound book.

  "Yeah, Professor Atwater helped me figure out what to do. He also helped me figure out who I am." I explained.

  "And what is that?" She said, genuine curiosity in her eyes.

  "Well, his theory, and I have reason to think he's right, is that I am one of the children of the old ones, the ancient gods. More specifically, I am the daughter of the Queen of Witches." I explained my heart quickening as I relieved the events of the last year in my memory.

  "IF that's true...." She said, her eyes filling with light, "That would be truly amazing. It does make sense in some ways. You aren't bound, but you demonstrate extraordinary magical ability."

  "Thank you, I guess?" I said unsure how to respond under her praise.

  "Still, that isn't the only reason I came here." She added. "We have concerns, there are lingering worries about your situation."

  "What kind of worries?" I asked.

  "For one, the headmaster disappeared and we do not have any information about where he went. It is possible, likely even, that he is dead, but we can't know for sure."

  "What makes you think he's dead?" I shuddered, I had tried not to think about him at all, though I hadn't completely kept him out of my dreams.

  "He's bound to a demon, and since he didn't follow through on the demon's orders, the most likely outcome is that she took his life in repayment for the deed. However, if she thought that he still had a chance to complete her bidding, she might keep him alive. It depends on which she craves more, his life ..... or you." She explained. A shiver flew up my spine.

  "Is there any way to find him?" I asked.

  "We are currently working with the North American Magical Authorities, but so far we don't have any leads." Her face was gaunt. "There's more."

  I felt myself falter, I thought she had finished telling me the worst of it already.

  "We don't know why the demon wanted you in the first place, but it's a cause for concern. It was an especially powerful demon and an ancient one at that. Why did it choose you?" She said solemnly.

  "Is that unusual?" I asked.

  "Very much so," She explained. "A demon of that magnitude wouldn't go after something unless it would be worth the time and effort to obtain it. So with that in mind, we have to make sure that nothing else becomes attracted to your power."

  "How would you be able to do that?" I said, feeling a pit growing in my stomach.

  "There's nothing we can do that's foolproof, but one idea we had with your permission...." She waited.

  "Go on," I assented.

  "There was a student here last year, by the name of Kairn Wilderwood. He's now Professor Atwood's assistant."She said. I hoped that she didn't notice my blush.

  "We're acquainted," I said quickly.

  "Professor Atwood has informed me that he's an incarnation, a highly powerful mage, so I would like to ask him to keep tabs on any negative energy around campus. That is after all his particular ability, keeping balance in the world."

  "You want him to be my bodyguard?" I asked.

  "In a manner of speaking, yes." She said.

  I felt like I had a lead weight in my stomach. Would he agree to that? If he was planning to break things off between us, that would make it very awkward.

  "Alright," I said, not sure what else to do.

  "Excellent." She said. "I'll be checking in with you regularly Esther. We do not allow students to be endangered in our schools."

  "Thank you, Alice," I said, meaning it with all my heart.

  "You're welcome."

  Nothing like being back at school.

  4

  I startled awake, feeling my heart race as I tried to pinpoint what woke me. A strange echoing of noises reverberated up the hallway. Through the door, I peered down at the doors at the end of the hallway but saw nothing. I padded down the hallway to investigate. The noises grew louder as I moved closer to the end of the hallway until they were almost deafening right outside Sybelle's room. There was a grating sound of metal rubbing against metal, and loud clanking. It sounded as if it was coming from a much larger room. I wasn't sure how such a racket could be coming from inside one room. I knocked on the door. Was Sybelle okay?

  Nothing. I knocked again, louder this time. I couldn't see how I was going to fall back asleep so I began to turn the doorknob. I was lucky that it was unlocked. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. Sybelle was sitting in the middle of the room, cross-legged on the floor. Her eyes were open, but her pupils were not visible. The whites of her eyes were all that I could see and I let out a sharp gasp. I swiftly closed the door and backed away. The sounds had stopped the moment I opened the door. Whatever was happening in there was not for me to see. I stumbled back to my room in the dark and laid down. I struggled to fall back asleep after witnessing such a strange sight. I only managed to find sleep in the early hours of the morning. I woke up groggy, but I least I could put what I'd seen out of my mind.

  Ligeia and I ate together in the dining hall. We compared our classes over plates of biscuits and gravy. The food at the academy was always delicious. Some things I would never get used to.

  "So, are you going to the bonfire tonight?" Ligeia asks, her face glowing with excitement.

  "No," I said, baiting her. She frowned at me for a moment before I added, "Actually, Kairn asked me to meet him tonight?"

  Her expression transformed into something more devious. "Is that right? Is he finally taking you on a date?" She asked.

  "Honestly, I'm not sure. Everything is always so damn complicated with him." I groaned.

  "What else could it be?" she laughed. "Honestly, Esther," She scoffed.

  "Maybe you're right," I said, trying to be hopeful. "By the way," I changed the subject. "Something weird happened last night."

  "Oh yeah?"

  "Yeah, I heard a bunch of weird noises and then walked down the hallway to find out where it was coming from. It was like metal clanking sounds or something. Anyway, I pinpointed it to Sybelle's room and I knocked, but she didn't answer, so I went inside."

  Ligeia was staring at me, confusion was written across her face. "What happened?"

  "Well, nothing," I explained. "She was just sitting there, and her eyes were rolled in the back of her head." I shuddered.

  "Creepy," Ligeia commiserated. "She was probably communing with her God.

  "What were those strange sounds I heard?"

  "That was probably the voice of her God. It's unusual for anyone else to hear their voice, but it does happen from time to time and in most cases, it just sounds like extraneous noises." She described.

  "Oh, I guess that must explain it," I said still feeling disturbed by what I had seen.

  My first class of the day was called Lectiomancy. I entered the large cathedral-like building and headed for the very top floor, in the tower. I wasn't sure what to expect, based on the class description I knew it had to be something related to divination, but other than that I was in the dark.

  Several students had already been seated in the class
including Sybelle. I chose a seat next to her. A burly looking man stood in front of the class. He was heavily bearded and wearing a thick black wool overcoat. After everyone had joined the class he introduced himself as Professor Flickwind. I was shocked that someone so grounded and earthy looking was supposed to be our divination teacher. He looked more suited to being a lumberjack or other outdoorsy vocation. The class was mixed with second and third years and many of the second years were caught in fits of giggles. I supposed he was handsome.

  "Welcome class, to Lectiomancy," He stated confidently rubbing his beard as he wrote on the board. "In this class we will be learning the art of reading the luminous ether, to get a sense of what is to come. Can anyone tell me of some ways we might do this?"

  An older third-year named Maya raised her hand, "staring into crystal balls," She guessed.

  "That is one way," He explained, "However it is a somewhat advanced skill so we will not be focusing on that much in this class. Anyone else?" He asked looking out into the class.

  "Throwing bones?" Sybelle hazarded.

  "Absolutely, " he exclaimed. "Sortilege is one of the most common types of Lectiomancy and we will practicing some variations on this later in the semester." He smiled at her.

  He wrote a word in bold letters on the board. HARUSPEX.

  "Does anyone know what this means?" He asked. The class remained silent. I had never seen a word like that before.

  He proceeded on cheerfully, though nobody had given an answer. "This is our first unit. I find with this it's best to get it over in the beginning, then you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the semester." I noticed some bewildered expressions. He proceeded on, "A Haruspex is someone who is trained in the art of reading the entrails of sacrificed birds."

  I couldn't hide the horror from my face, and seemingly neither could the rest of the class.

  "We will be starting the introduction to this section in the next class," He continued oblivious to the horror dawning on the faces of the students all around him. He began to pass out large pieces of parchment.