Henry walked over and offered his hand. “It’s equally possible that the princess would simply be really strong with only one element. She could be a powerful Water or Air Magical, for example.”
I accepted his hand, and he propelled me to my feet. Pain traveled up my arms and down my back, and I shook it off like an annoying skitterbug. My heavy arms trembled as I held them up, but Henry shook his head.
I collapsed into my stretches, smothering a laugh. If Ivy were the princess, she’d probably freeze the delegates when they annoyed her. “Binding increases a Magical’s power, so what do you think it’d have done for someone like the princess?”
“That’s a good question.” Henry pinned his green Earth Magical insignia back to his shirt.
“Would it be possible for her to have Light Magic? Or maybe Light Magic and another strong element?” I finished my stretches and walked back to my desk.
“The odds of a couple producing someone with Light Magic is roughly one in five hundred.” He dropped a paper on my desk and sat in his chair. “And there are no recorded cases of Light Magicals having more than one magic before.”
“Oh.” If Neil’s three magic specialization caused so much drama, I could only imagine how everyone would react if someone could wield all four elemental magics and Light Magic. But, since the princess was dead, who knew how long we’d have to wait to see a Magical like that?
Henry glanced at me, shoulders braced for another barrage of questions.
Instead, I sat at my desk to complete my reading assignment of Old Andarian texts. I had a lot to think about. If Neil chose a Water Magical, would his kids be able to wield all four elemental magics?
The time flew quickly as I struggled to transcribe a passage written in the old language of Ender. An hour later, I rushed out the door at the ding of the chime.
On the next Aerisday, Ivy and I had agreed to meet after school to carry out our special plans for Neil. If I ran into him, he’d be able to tell with one glance that something was up, so it was Gray’s job to keep him distracted. But with Neil, one could never tell how well distractions would work.
“Any trouble today?” Ivy asked after I closed the door to our room.
“None.” I flashed her a grin and hurried to gather clothes. My sparring left me in desperate need of a shower, but I preferred to use the one in my room when I had the chance instead of the one connected to my Henry’s class.
Ivy glanced at her watch but didn’t say anything.
“I’ll be out soon,” I assured her.
“I’ll make sure everything’s ready to go.”
Fifteen minutes later, I walked back into the room, finger-combing my wet hair.
“Emmie,” Ivy scolded, shaking her head. “Not even any makeup?”
“We’re in a hurry. There’s no time for anything else. Besides, Neil doesn’t care about how I look.”
She rested the box on her hip. “Maybe that’s because you never put in any effort. How are you going to make him see you like a girl if you don’t even see yourself as one? All boys care about looks.”
I stuck out my chin. “Neil never talks about girls like that.”
“He’s probably too busy organizing his assignments in his head,” she muttered and shook her head. Ivy held a box in her arms and gestured toward the bag on my bed with her chin. “That’s yours.”
I slid it onto my shoulder. “Let’s do this.”
We closed the door and did our best to walk casually through the hallways. When we made it to the quad, Ivy and I avoided discussing the scorch marks still brutally marring the campus. With the attack only having occurred five days ago, it was far from ideal timing, but it couldn’t be helped. It’d be good for all of us to have a chance to celebrate. Campus had been much too somber these last few days.
I glanced over my shoulder back toward campus. “Do you think Gray was able to distract Neil?” My breath puffed out in front of me.
Ivy unloaded supplies from her box at our favorite weeping willow. “I don’t know. You know how perceptive Neil is.”
“We better work fast.” I decorated the skeleton branches while Ivy prepped the food.
Thirty minutes later, Gray’s and Neil’s voices floated across the clearing, so we quickly took up positions. A few more seconds...
When my gaze met Ivy’s, I stifled the urge to giggle.
“Now?” she mouthed at me.
I shook my head.
“What’s so important that we had to come out here right now?” Neil demanded. “I was in the middle of a project for Mr. Kaji. If I don’t finish it today, I won’t stay on schedule and have enough time to work on my inventions.”
“Relax.”
I could practically hear Gray roll his eyes. Covering my mouth with my hand was the only way to keep my laughter from escaping. Neil was adorable when he worried about being able to work on his inventions.
“A little delay won’t hurt you. Besides, Emmie said she had something she needed to tell you.”
“Emmie did? Is she all right?” Neil’s voice deepened.
I shook my head. He shouldn’t freak him out after the attack the other day. Still, I smiled to myself, his concern making me blush. “She’s fine. She just, uh, wanted to talk to you.”
Ivy pretended to bang her head against the tree she hid behind.
Why did we give Gray that job?
“Now?” Ivy mouthed again.
I nodded and counted down with my fingers. Three, two, one. “Surprise!” we shouted, jumping out of our hiding spots. At the same moment, Ivy released her Water Magic, which camouflaged everything, revealing all of our decorations.
For a moment, Neil’s shoulders stiffened and sparks jumped from his hands, but then he relaxed and the tips of his ears turned red. “You didn’t need to do anything for my birthday.”
“Of course we did,” Gray replied. “Any chance to embarrass my big brother is one I can’t say no to.”
“What he means is, this is a big day for you, and we couldn’t let it pass like any other.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what he meant.” Neil aimed an exasperated grin at his little brother.
“Plus, we needed something to celebrate,” Ivy added. “You’re eighteen! How could we ignore that?”
“You can finally vote!” Gray said.
“Gray, we don’t vote. That’s for the Mundanes.” Neil looked toward the sky and then at me. He raised one shoulder.
I gave him my best, He’s your brother shrug in return. “This is the year you finally graduate.”
I smiled at him even though the idea of being in school without him made my throat tighten painfully. My eyes stung with tears, and I quickly blinked them away. So many things would be coming to an end that year.
There’d be no more chances for a late-night rendezvous with Neil in the cafeteria to snack on cherry pastries, a tradition we’ve had for six years. My Grade Two year, I learned two things when I caught Neil in the cafeteria after hours, red juice all over his fingers: cherry pastries were his favorite snack, and even rule-loving Neil knew how to break them once in a while. Those nights alone in the cafeteria and enjoying our midnight snacks were some of my favorite memories with Neil.
“And you can officially Bind with someone now if you want to.” Ivy winked.
Her words snapped me out of my reminiscing, and my spirits sank even further.
Neil looked away.
Gray’s smile fell, then he took a deep breath. “I planned to have the party in the cafeteria so your fans wouldn’t miss out, but the girls insisted we do it in secret.”
I tried to shake off my melancholy feelings. “When it’s your birthday, we can invite the whole school, and you can be as ridiculous as you want.”
Gray cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean ridiculous?”
“He’s always ridiculous,” Ivy muttered quietly to Neil at the same moment.
Before he could reply, I gestured Ivy
forward with the cake.
“So, uh, we need you to use your Fire Magic to light the candles,” she admitted. “I lost the matches.”
“All of this preparation,” he made a sweeping gesture to the surroundings, “and you forgot matches?” His grin threatened to break into dimple territory.
“All right, wise guy, light the candles, will ya?” Gray tried to put Neil in a headlock, but he easily avoided it.
Neil glanced around at the three of us again and grinned, his dimple finally peeking through. My heart took off at the sight of it. He snapped his hand, and a spark jumped from his fingers to the candles and skipped back and forth from candle to candle with a life of its own. When the spark arrived at the last candle, it settled on the wick and burst into flame.
I turned to Neil with a huge smile on my face. He winked roguishly. If I could have a wish, it would be the ability to freeze that moment.
Gray burst into song, ruining the moment. Ivy and I joined him, less loud and off-key, and we all cheered when Neil blew out the candles.
“What did you wish for?” I leaned toward him.
He smiled at me, but Ivy cut him off before he could speak.
“Emmie, don’t ruin it. If Neil tells his birthday wish, it will never come true.”
“I wish this day could last forever. I don’t want things to ever change.” No graduation. No leaving Ackley. No choosing a specialty.
Ivy cut a slice of cake for each of us. “Don’t worry. At least when it comes to the four of us, things will never change.”
“Don’t forget the Lunas.” I stuck the small, round candy on top of Neil’s slice. It was tradition for a Magical to receive one on their eighteenth birthday. It had a sweet taste that quickly turned sour before shifting back to a mellow honey flavor and was said to symbolize the transition from childhood to adulthood.
We left the shelter of the tree, so Neil could pull up a small bonfire, and the four of us huddled around it.
I stared into the flames. “Hard to believe childhood can end so quickly.” Would everything change now?
Gray held out his hands. “Maybe I won’t eat the Lunas, then no one can call me an adult.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “Eating the candy doesn’t make you an adult. Besides, I don’t think you’ll ever grow up.”
Gray winked at her. “I agree. I don’t think I even want to. Adults have to be so serious all the time.”
Neil chuckled. “A serious Gray? Now that I’d like to see.”
Neil was already too serious for his own good. What would this new year bring for him?
Gray barked out a laugh. “Speaking of serious, remember when Ivy froze her hands together the first time she tried to create a rod of ice?”
Ivy flushed. “How is that even related?”
Gray slapped his knee. “It was seriously funny.”
I giggled. “She was nine. Cut her some slack.”
Ivy turned to Gray. “Oh yeah? And how old were you when you temporarily blinded yourself with your own Light Magic?”
A giggle burst out before I could catch it. That had been pretty funny.
Next to me, Neil snickered. “She’s got ya there, Gray.”
Gray picked up a stick and poked the flames. “It wasn’t that funny.” He glanced at his watch and his eyes brightened. He scrambled to his feet. “Well, shall we go?”
“Go where?” Ivy asked.
“To the dueling club. Today’s the first lesson,” Gray said. He glanced behind him at Neil who grinned at the three of us. “Come on, birthday boy. It’s time for your present: a whooping in front of the entire school.”
Neil scoffed and caught up to walk on my other side. “In your dreams, little brother. Maybe on your birthday, I’ll let you win.”
When we arrived at the stadium, we had to push our way through the crowds of eager Magicals. A head of blonde hair stood out amongst a group not too far away. Please, no Lukas today. I hurriedly pulled Ivy in the other direction, and the boys followed.
Henry walked forward, and people shushed each other. “Your first task today is to quietly find your seats. If you can’t manage that much, then you should probably turn around and go back to your rooms. This will be the easiest thing I require of you today.”
A few students stared at him, unsure if he was joking or serious, while I tried to smother my grin. Typical Henry.
“Looks like the teachers came to see how the first class turns out,” Neil observed.
“I hope it goes well.” I didn’t want to reveal my anxiety to the others, so I shoved my hands into my pockets before they could twist into my hair and betray me.
The watching students perched on the edge of their seats, and a hush slowly settled across the students. Henry stepped forward again. “Dueling is something many Magicals are fairly unfamiliar with because we were raised in such a peaceful society, but I’m a firm believer in knowing how to defend yourself. It’s better to be prepared than to be sorry.”
He was silent for a heartbeat and a few of the students exchanged nervous glances. Was he thinking about his parents?
“No matter where you are currently in your Magical or physical abilities, you can learn to duel. I believe this is an important skill for everyone to learn. With today being the first time, and knowing many of you have never seen a duel before, I thought we’d begin with a demonstration.”
Excited chatter erupted among the students.
“I’ll duel with...,” he scanned the crowd until his gaze fell on me.
No! I shook my head frantically.
He nodded and shot me a tiny smile. “Miss Lyland.”
I clenched my hands into fists in my lap. I couldn’t believe he did that to me.
Chapter 6
At Henry’s announcement, an astonished hum of whispers charged through the students, as well as a few snickers.
Ivy nudged me with her elbow, and I got to my feet stiffly. I pinned Henry with a frustrated stare for my entire walk down the steps. It lasted twenty seconds, but felt like twenty minutes.
He smiled encouragingly.
He was getting an earful tomorrow.
Mr. Kaji whispered something to Mr. Mizuno before shaking his head.
I stopped in front of Henry and stared at the floor. “You should spar with someone who has magic,” I mumbled.
Henry put a hand on my shoulder. “That’s precisely why you should do it, Emmie. You can fight without your magic better than most of them can with theirs. You just need to show them what you can do—what they would be able to do if they were already trained.”
My heart jumped, and he gave me a penetrating stare until I nodded my reluctant agreement. He turned back to the observers. “Miss Lyland and I will demonstrate one form of a duel between Magicals—”
“She’s no Magical! She’s just a Mediocre,” a voice from the crowd interrupted.
Lukas. I closed my eyes. Why did I let Henry talk me into it?
“I beg your pardon?” Henry turned and zeroed in on the voice with a bland look that didn’t fool me for a second.
“She’s not a worthy opponent. Let me duel you. I’ll give everyone a demonstration worth watching.”
Henry eyed him. “And your name is?”
I was too nervous to look anywhere except at Henry.
“Lukas Losser.”
Henry’s expression hardened slightly. He’d heard a few stories about Lukas over the years.
I leaned forward slightly, hoping for Henry to give him some sort of smackdown in front of everyone. Henry and Lukas stared at one another while I held my breath. Come on, Henry. What was taking so long?
“All right, then, please join us.”
Lukas stood and made his way to the front.
I stumbled back a step. How could Henry invite me to the front and then embarrass me in front of everyone by replacing me with Lukas? Angry tears gathered in the corner of my eyes, but I didn’t want to acknowledge them in front of everyone. Already, I could feel the weight fro
m their gazes. Watching me. Waiting. Judging.
“Slight change of plans, but this might work even better.”
I subtly took another step back.
“Today we will watch a duel between Mr. Flosser and—”
Even angry at Henry, a laugh worked its way up my throat. He did that on purpose.
“It’s Losser, sir,” Lukas interrupted.
I allowed myself a small smile at his red ears.
“Ah, right. Sorry,” Henry continued, “Between Mr. Losser and Miss Lyland.”
What? I whipped up my head to stare at him, heart pounding. How many surprises did he plan on springing on me at once?
Henry ignored me as I tried to burn a hole in his face with my gaze. “The rules are simple: the first Magical to knock their opponent out of the ring wins. No striking with the intent to seriously injure.” He stomped his foot and raised a circle in the middle of the stadium. His gaze swept the crowd of students.
“You can’t make me fight her. It’s not fair!” Lukas complained.
Henry’s gaze settled on him. “I apologize. I’ll find another volunteer who is up to the task of facing Miss Lyland.” He kept his inflection perfectly even.
“I meant, it’s not fair to her!” He flushed. “She can’t even use magic. It’s unfair to the rest of the students too, since it won’t be a good demonstration. It’ll end too quickly.”
“I can find someone else to duel Miss Lyland, if you prefer,” Henry said.
“No. I’ll fight her.” His voice was loud as he cracked his neck to the side.
Henry turned to face the benches. “I’ll give each Magical two minutes to prepare for the duel and decide their strategy. When the chime goes off, you can begin.”
While Lukas walked to his side of the stage, Henry leaned toward me and murmured, “You can do this, Emmie. You’ve fought with me every day for years. This kid has probably never fought a duel in his life. All he knows is how to pick fights. You,” he put a reassuring hand on my shoulder, “know how to finish them.”
My hands trembled, and I clenched them into fists.
Henry walked back to the teachers and Ms. Ventor stood and waved her arms. A dome of air fell around the ring, trapping Lukas and I inside together. It distorted the noises from everyone watching, making it easier to focus.
Unleashed Magic (The Chronicles of Andar Book 1) Page 7
