by Nika Gray
A low rumble erupted from the crowd as the Third Years reacted in shock. No one could have anticipated this news.
Leonora Trahern waited until the shock of her announcement died down.
“Because of our desperate need for more mages on the Borderlands, we’ve condensed the school year to a semester.”
“What does that mean?” a voice yelled out.
“I’m glad you asked. Instead of the year-end battle between First and Second years, the battle will be right before Christmas break. Our hope is that you will all rise to the challenge and graduate to join our brave mages on the Borderlands right after the new year.”
Her words were met with complete silence. They were going to the Borderlands in two months? Was this for real?
I turned to Fergus. “They can’t possibly think we’ll be ready.”
“I’m speechless,” Fergus said.
“We aren't ready for this, are we?” I asked.
“We barely had a week of the first semester and now they're telling us we need to be battle ready in three months?” Fergus shook his head. “Insanity.”
“Are the borderlands really that dangerous?” I asked.
“Mages aren't powerful enough to survive Fae magic,” Declan said darkly. “If the veil doesn't hold and Fae warriors breach our defenses into this realm then we’ll be lost.”
I noticed that Cole didn’t say a word. Instead, he stared at the woman on the stage. His mother. Leonora Trahern stared straight back at her son. Their animosity for each other was obvious. There was no love lost between those two. The woman's eyes dragged away from her son’s and they landed straight on me.
Her powerful gaze focused on me and her presence from the stage felt as if she was standing right in front me. Without realizing it, I involuntarily stepped back. I did not want to mess with this woman.
Gregory Mathonwy rose from his seat and stood next to Leonora. “You all must be stunned by this new development. I’ve taken a leave of absence from my Council duties to prepare you as best I can in Battle Magic. We will have classes twice a day and sparring combat in the mirror world on the off days. Fret not, we won’t lead you like lambs to slaughter. We will make sure that you all are fully trained to properly protect yourself in your duties to this realm.”
Headmaster Hotchkiss stood beside Leonora and Gregory. He put his hand up to get everyone’s attention again.
“Everyone has received new schedules. Check your emails and you'll see that we've made sure to fit Battle Magic into each one of your days. The First Years will be training Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with sparring on Tuesday and Thursday, like Professor Mathonwy mentioned. We need to first figure out where your strengths lay. This week will be about discovering where you fit into your battalions. The Second Years will have a less rigorous schedule focusing on sparring, combat, and strategy within their battalions. Thank you very much for your attention,” Headmaster Hotchkiss said.
The assembly was over. I watched as Headmaster Hotchkiss led Professor Mathonwy, Leonora Trahern, and Aidan off the stage and they followed him towards the professor’s village. At least that's where I assumed they were headed.
Everybody else milled around. Girls giggled behind me. I recognized that giggle anywhere. Kyna Bloodstyne and her minions had to be behind me. Great, that’s all I needed. Should I turn around and say something or ignore them as I usually did? Screw that, I wouldn’t change for mean girls like them. I turned to find Kyna, Sonia Gallagher, and Avery Craig behind me. My former roommates watched Kyna for a signal to see which torture they needed to inflict.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You have no idea how to use your magic and now you're going to have to be in battle with all of us in two months. Good luck surviving,” Kyna said.
“Don’t you have something better to do?” Fergus said with a scowl.
Kyna’s face turned scarlet. “As you well know, Fergus, you’re only as strong as the weakest link in your battalion. You planning to throw your lot in with people who don't even know how to wield magic?” Kyna said with a sneer.
She flicked her pitch-black hair over her shoulder. Both Avery and Sonia threw dirty looks my way and followed their leader.
“She’s right, you know,” I said to Fergus.
“Don’t even talk like that,” Fergus grumbled.
“I have no idea about battalions or magic battles and whatever else this assembly was about,” I said. “Kyna was right. You shouldn’t mix with someone who could get you killed.”
“Kyna Bloodstyne doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Fergus laughed. “I would be in a battalion with you over anyone else on campus.”
“You are sweet, but I’m not sure you’re right,” I said.
“What’s Fergus not right about this time?” Kelly asked as she approached with Declan right behind her.
“My lack of magical ability could get him killed on the Borderlands,” I reiterated.
“I’m wondering if the Borderlands is what this is really about,” Fergus said.
“What do you mean?” Declan asked.
As Fergus began to explain his theory, I watched Cole Trahern walk away from us in the direction the Headmaster had gone. I wanted to call out to him but wasn't sure exactly what I would say. It didn’t feel like the right time and I still didn’t fully understand what had just happened.
I turned back to the conversation. “I’m sorry, could you say that again Fergus?”
“What if this whole Borderland nonsense is really just a smokescreen for something else?”
“That’s a huge smokescreen then,” Kelly said.
“How long has the Magic Council tried to get their hands on the Protectors Academy?” Fergus asked.
“Forever,” Kelly said.
“And now, just like that, they’ve managed to infiltrate this school.”
“But sending all the classes to the Borderlands is kind of a big deal,” Kelly reminded him.
“It’s huge. Nothing like this has ever happened before. So, how does the Magic Council have the authority to make such a decision?” Declan asked.
“I’m not even talking about that exactly,” Fergus explained. “They could have made the same choice of sending us all to the Borderlands without having Leonora Trahern show up here with Gregory Mathonwy trailing behind her. She didn’t need to be here for the assembly. And Professor Krysz is perfectly capable of teaching us Battle Magic. Why is my dad taking over?” Fergus asked.
“What could be the something else then?” Kelly asked.
“I don’t know.” Fergus shook his head. “As I was telling Sadie, my father is not a teacher. He’s a political animal that does whatever the Magic Council tells him to. His teaching Battle Magic is a joke. The other professors here will have to help him with the curriculum. My question is why has he really been installed on campus?”
“I see what you’re saying. You think the council is using this emergency to make their presence on campus. But for what purpose?” Declan asked.
“The resistance?” Fergus whispered, looking around for anyone standing nearby.
“What about Alexis?” I whispered back. “The Magic Council being here on campus seems very bad.”
“I think it means something bigger is going on than getting all the students out to the Borderlands a year earlier,” Fergus said.
“Aren’t the Borderlands the most dangerous place like anywhere?” I asked.
“They are.” Fergus nodded. “If the magic barrier around the veil is not holding then the Magic Council is keeping extremely dangerous information from the entire magical community. That still doesn't explain why Leonora Trahern herself came down here. Or why my father is here,” Fergus said through gritted teeth.
“They made no mention of Alexis,” I added.
“That also worries me. The entire school has been talking about her disappearance all weekend and Hotchkiss made no mention of one of his students going missing?” Fergus asked.<
br />
“Should we talk to your dad about this?” I asked Kelly.
“Absolutely not.” Kelly shook her head. “He's going to be watched by the council and whatever spies they have here. From what I understand, Leonora is staying with my dad in the main manor house. That place is completely off-limits to us. He’s tried so hard to keep the Magic Council out of the school and now they’ve found a way in.”
I bit my lip as my stomach growled. I was unsure if it was from hunger at this point or from the stress of the announcement at the assembly.
“What do we do now?” I asked.
“I'm going to get to the bottom of what my father is doing here,” Fergus said.
Declan frowned.
“Are you sure that's a good idea?” Declan asked. “Maybe that's something I should be doing.”
“It's about time I stood up to my father. He’s treated me like shit my entire life and it’s time I did something about that. I want to know what shady shit he’s gotten himself into,” Fergus said.
Declan nodded.
“While you're doing that, I’ll keep an eye on Sadie and make sure nobody else tries to kidnap her. I can't help but think this has something to do with Sadie and Alexis. It can't be a coincidence that Alexis disappears, and Sadie is almost kidnapped and then two days later the Magic Council has infiltrated Protectors Academy,” Declan said.
My heart skipped a beat at the thought of Declan having to shadow me wherever I went.
“I can take care of myself,” I said.
Our small group looked at me.
“You don't know enough about the players in this world to know who is a danger to you and who isn’t,” Declan said.
“Ouch,” I said. “That came out rude.”
“He could have said it in nicer way,” Kelly said, trying to smooth it over. “What Declan meant to say is that until you know the full layout of the land and the players and the history behind everything that's going on, it's better for you to have a guide. Declan is offering to be that guide.”
I shrugged and had to admit that although I knew some things about what happened in the Fae war and how the Magic Council had come to be, I didn't know the history of these families. I didn’t even know that my lover hated his father as much as he did.
“Alright, so how do we do that,” I asked.
“I'll match my schedule to yours and we can go from there,” Declan said.
Fergus nodded. “I’m off to see my dear dad. Start up this so-called relationship with him. He’ll enjoy watching me grovel,” Fergus said with a frown.
Kelly raised an eyebrow. “Grovel?”
“You know what I mean. Play up to the man and convince him I give a shit about having a better relationship with him,” Fergus said.
I could tell it wasn’t going to be an easy task for Fergus. I touched him gently on the arm and he nodded.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.
With that, he turned and walked away in the same direction Cole had gone. I turned back to Declan and Kelly.
“Let's see what these new schedules look like then,” I said.
4
Sadie
The sky was red.
Dark clouds rolled in and I sprinted forward, my labored breathing the only sound I could hear.
I burst out of the forest and sprinted towards the thin membrane of light.
A thousand whispers exploded all around me.
I pushed through the light.
The light glimmered around me.
Fear exploded in my chest. I was caught.
I couldn’t get out.
I thrashed around trying to get to the other side.
I was too late.
A crackling light blinded me.
A woman’s heart-wrenching scream filled the void.
I woke up drenched in sweat, screaming. I gasped, trying to catch my breath as my heart rattled around in my chest. Holy crap, that was vivid. I checked the time and swore. I was late again. I dragged myself towards the bathroom, my legs filled with jelly, adrenaline still racing through my veins. I had to get to class on time today.
I’d never felt as lonely as I had these past few days. The assembly had taken place two days ago and I hadn’t seen any of my friends or lovers. They’d all disappeared on me. I walked to Bloodstyne Hall and my first Battle Magic class of the day.
My new schedule assigned me to the eight-in-the-morning time slot. Kelly had been put in the eleven-in-the-morning-slot. Declan was in my group, as were Sonia and Kyna Bloodstyne.
They couldn't help giggling every single time I walked by and it was driving me insane. Fergus had canceled my rendezvous with him after the assembly and I hadn't seen him since. When I asked Declan what Fergus was doing, he informed me all of Fergus’ time was spent with his father, Gregory. He hadn’t seen much of Fergus, either.
Cole had disappeared entirely. I hadn’t seen him since the assembly, but there was still Declan.
Even though Declan was in every single one of my classes, he’d made it his mission to be out of sight and out of mind. Together we had Spellcasting, Healing Arts, and Battle Magic. I saw glimpses of him behind me, but he made sure not to talk to me. All of this drove me crazy. I knew their logic, but the isolation was making me feel terrible.
The classes had been disorganized because all the professors scrambled to accelerate their curriculum. It had been a bumpy time and the chaos was exhausting.
A large drop of rain hit my forehead and slid down my cheek. I wiped it away. I’d been so deep in my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed the storm on the horizon.
Everything was damp and dreary, and even though the leaves had turned brilliant reds and oranges, the colors were muted in this light. The sky was dark gray, and the air felt unnatural. Thunder rumbled somewhere off in the distance to my left. If I didn’t pick up the pace, I’d get caught in the storm. I was still only halfway up the hill to the main quad.
I ran up the path, my calves burning. The thunder clapped again, closer this time. I didn’t love thunderstorms and was happy that we were in Bloodstyne Hall this morning. The Hall was red brick and sturdy enough that I doubted we’d hear much of the storm from inside the auditorium. I trudged up the rest of the path and joined the rest of the students rushing into Bloodstyne Hall before the storm hit.
As I found my seat, I noticed Professor Krysz keep his temper in check.
Again.
We’d only had two Battle Magic classes and they’d been a special kind of disaster. Professor Krysz had been tasked to support Gregory Mathonwy and he bristled at every opportunity. During the first class, the men power struggled through the entire two hours of attempting to teach us about the Borderland Battalions.
The second class was even worse. Professor Krysz decided he wasn’t going to help at all and sat in the corner of the auditorium for the entire class glowering at everybody.
Unfortunately, Gregory Mathonwy was incapable of teaching anything and had Aidan Wilkinson explain the structure of each battalion and how they would test us over the upcoming weeks. At least he was concise and to the point. He was a good teacher.
Each battalion consisted of spies, patrols, crawlers, and water skippers. Supposedly each one of us had a skill that could be matched into one of those categories. I could either be a shape shifter, or a mage with brute strength, or a teleporter, or be able to control water.
I had never been able to do anything with water. Last week, I’d failed at conjuring water as well as making it spin, per our class assignment. I doubted I was a water skipper.
But I’d find out soon enough as the tests were starting today. No wonder I was a nervous wreck. I was curious to find out where I’d shuffle into and also terrified of how my magic would be viewed.
The test consisted of sparring with another mage in the mirror world using those four skills. Whichever skill was the strongest would result in the placement. Or so Aidan explained.
I wasn't sure which skill would be the safe
st for me to show. I mean I had never tried to teleport anywhere, and it never even occurred to me I could shapeshift into another type of being. Water was out so that left brute strength for the patrols.
My biggest worry was my visible magic. Most of the mages, when they used their spells and conduit rings, kept their magic invisible. I’d never seen magical tendrils shoot out of anyone’s fingers except for when I’d been together with Cole and Fergus. I hadn’t mastered using the conduit ring yet and that was another issue. My magic shot out of everywhere. How in the hell would I manage to hide that?
I played with my conduit ring as I sat in the last row. Most of the students were sitting up front and I was totally okay to be as far away from the podium and the portal and the mirror world as I could get.
Surprisingly, Professor Krysz took attendance for class while Professor Gregory Mathonwy and Aidan Wilkinson sat off to the side. They must have come up with some sort of agreement on who taught class and when. Professor Krysz still didn’t look happy, although it was hard to tell as I wasn’t sure if I’d ever seen him crack a smile.
My fingers twisted the conduit ring back and forth as Professor Krysz called out the pairs for the testing. Please let it not be Kyna Bloodstyne or Avery Craig or…any other mage who I had a history with.
Someone sat next to me. I turned in surprise to see Declan LongBane, my invisible shadow.
“Decided to come out of the shadows?” I asked wryly.
“You look especially nervous today,” he replied. He’d noticed that.
Warmth spread over my face and I inhaled a breath to calm my nerves. I got a whiff of his particular scent, fresh-cut grass, and citrus with a warm musk tone underneath. I flushed again as a shiver ran down my body.
Oh, my good lord, I wanted to jump his bones.
I licked my lips and nodded, trying to focus back on the conversation. “I'm super nervous about how my magic is going to show today.”
