by A. J. Macey
“Well, don’t fuck with Drayce,” Caspian muttered in awe, his jaw hanging open. Drayce walked over, a hint of a swagger in his step, and tapped a knuckle under Cas’ open jaw, forcing him to close it.
“Three down, three to go,” Drayce said simply. Xan was preparing for the next one up, seemingly unaffected by Drayce’s spectacle. I wanted to watch them all first, so I waved Torryn ahead. Nodding, he walked out, not looking the least bit concerned.
When the green clone attacked, Torryn quickly wrapped vines around his ankles, yanking him backward and maneuvering him like a marionette. Unlike the others, Torryn didn’t aim to win or end this quickly. He played around with what he could do, showing us not just sheer power but versatility. When he finally dropped his clone from the vines’ hold, he opened up a hole in the ground, swallowing the clone down whole.
“Watch, he can’t survive that,” Caspian scoffed. His jaw dropped open when the ground turned to mud, and the clone came out like an oozing monster from an Earth film, rising to the surface. As the mud fell away, Torryn stood still, watching. My heart pounded in my chest when a volley of rocks flew at him, but at the last moment, a wall of stone and moss came flying out of the ground quicker than my mind could process, the stones exploding against the side.
“How hard did his clone throw those?!” Drayce asked. The fact those would have severely hurt him shook us up. Even if Xan said it couldn’t hurt him that bad, it looked scary enough to worry me.
“What is he playing at?” Kye grumbled, his hands clenched into fists at his side.
As if he could read our tension, Torryn used a combo of vines and a boulder to smash the clone, covering us in green particles this time.
“Alright, Xan, may as well come out here, and I’ll make your clone,” Torryn said as soon as the dust settled, smoothing the ground back to normal with a simple wave of his hand.
“It’s interesting how they have to recite spells for normal casting, but the tether-related magic is unspoken,” I mused, watching Torryn speak the spell under his breath, forming a red clone before walking back to me.
“Were you showing off?” I teased, the undercurrent of worry in my voice giving me away.
“Sorry, Gorgeous. I was testing reaction time. I figured better to do it now than during a real battle.” Pulling me in for a hug, his warm embrace calmed my nerves. This whole thing was a huge cauldron full of excitement and worry. By the time he’d let me go, Xan was dodging fireballs.
Oh, hellsticks. I missed the start of his turn! He had yet to attack, but a swirl of fiery magic was forming in his hands, growing bigger with each rotation. I watched in fascination as it grew larger than the width of his body. Finally, when he couldn’t seem to hold it anymore, he threw it at the clone, the ball of fiery magic hitting the ground in front of him. An ear-splitting explosion echoed as fire and red glowing glitter rained down on the field below.
The rest of the guys yelled and clapped their appreciation for the display. Xan smiled but turned toward the still-burning grass, and the flames went out with a simple wave of his hand before he finally waved me over.
Unlike the others, I’d had a chance to play with my powers, but with having a bit of each element, I wasn’t sure how this would go. My hands shook at my sides, but I kept my head high as he created my clone, the colors switching every few moments between the five colors.
Xan hesitated but eventually ran off, which I appreciated. They had to trust I could handle this on my own. Before the first attack could hit, I slammed a huge gust of wind into my clone, picking her up before dropping her into a stone prison, the raw rock beneath the ground rising to form a circle around her. What I hadn’t anticipated was her ability to use wind to rise out of her confinement, followed by a fast volley of a fireball my way.
My only reaction was to launch water in a counterattack, but I had no real plan forming in my mind, so it was just a long gush. Despite the lack of finesse, it was effective, the fireball hissing as it extinguished. My breaths came out in quick puffs as I fought off the adrenaline rising when she threw a wave of shadow my way, leaving it impossible to see.
Refusing to be a sitting duck, I used wind to blow away the shadows, the force of which had sweat breaking out on my forehead. It reminded me of a lower intensity version of my duel with Edmund, I was actually thankful for the experience before attempting this.
The guys were arguing behind me, but my focus was on my now green clone, her face set in grim determination. Knowing what was coming, I jumped, letting another gust of wind lift me off of the ground. The wind stopped, dropping me on top of a hill I’d formed, giving me higher ground.
As my clone spun, I snagged her ankle with a vine, launching fireballs at her. She dodged a few before holding her hand out, a shield of water forming. Each fireball that hit the shield hissed and evaporated.
What the hellsticks do I do if she has a counter to every attack I have?!
“Do you need me to stop it?” Xan called, but I quickly shook my head, refusing to back down. This was my fight, and I was proving to myself more than anyone, that I was strong enough to be worthy of helping lead a rebellion.
“I’ve got this,” I called, letting the air above my enemy form into a cyclone, adding in fire and lightning until it formed a volatile tornado. Ignoring the vines that wrapped around my ankles, dropping me on my ass, I kept my eyes locked on my target. As I took a deep breath and released it, I also dropped the tornado on my enemy, her figure disappearing into the ground at the last second.
Son of a witch!
Realizing I had no choice but to use every element to win this, I created a stone wall around me, darkness descending as I encased myself. I took advantage of the moment of protection from the attacks, thinking over each element.
Plan, Aris. If you’re going to be a leader, you need to be able to plan under pressure. Shield with stone, solidify the ground, pick up with air, and create the cyclone around her, using water and fire to create steam, burning the clone until she’s defeated... this could work.
The moment the stone fell away, she was there, slamming her fists out, fireballs and icicles launching from each one. Now that I had her location, I hardened the ground below her, lifted her, and pulled my own protection over me before forming the cyclone. From the top of my barrier, I watched her spin, the steam making it hard to see the longer it went on until a loud boom echoed in the space, and a rainbow of glitter rained over me.
The guys ran out to join me, but my body was coming off of an adrenaline high, my hands shaking and giddiness making me feel loopy. They were talking, but I was too far gone to process just yet, my brain focused on my hard-earned victory.
I did it.
I fucking did it.
This lowly Mixta, who was shunned by her family, defeated the hardest opponent out of all five full-fledged witches, each with Big Five status.
“Aris!” I jumped as Tor’s voice boomed through the area, everything else falling silent, including my inner thoughts.
“What?” I asked, confused. He just smiled and held out my arm. My eyes trailed down, just now realizing I was bleeding pretty badly. My clothes hung off of my forearm in tatters, the edges of the tears black and burned, covered in dirt and debris. I probably looked like the mud monster from earlier, but I didn’t care.
“You alright?” Drayce asked, his voice soft and full of concern. I nodded, taking in a deep breath, watching Torryn bandage my arm. Whatever spell he was casting stopped the bleeding.
“I’m just worn out. If we’re still testing familiars, Mr. Stripes and I will go last again,” I said, walking to the fence and slumping down to the ground. Torryn let the familiars out of their safety bubble, and my sweet baby leapt into my arms, latching onto me.
“It’s okay, Baby. I’m fine! See?” His tiny hand rested on my cheek as he looked me over, letting out a tiny grunt of approval before burying his face in my hair and clinging tightly to me.
“We can save this for later if yo
u want?” Xan asked, crouching down in front of me.
“No, stop worrying,” I said, shaking my head. “We need to learn, and now is the best time. It’s just adrenaline and relief. That wasn’t an easy fight. I just want to have a chance to get my bearings before I try to encourage Mr. Stripes.”
“Okay, Muse. Understandable.” Xan stood and joined the others. They all looked away, though with some reluctance, focusing on their own familiars.
Despite being with us this whole crazy adventure, the familiars hadn’t had a chance to share in our power. From the research Xan had done, it sounded as if they’d get a portion of our skills, meant to enhance our powers and protect themselves.
“I think we should do one at a time, then put them all together and see what they can do without us,” Torryn mused, looking between us and the open space as he thought it over.
“They’ve spent a lot of time together, though. Wouldn’t we have seen a hint of it by now?” Kye wondered, clearly not believing they could do much but excited to try. “Raptor and I got this,” he said, walking to the field with his familiar trailing behind. She had her chest puffed out and head high, somehow making her look just as smug as Kye. “Alright, Raptor! Shadows!” He pointed at her, the command clear, but she just let out a long squawk, turning away and strutting a few steps. When I thought she wasn’t going to do anything, it happened. Shadows curled around her, spilling from between her feathers and covering the ground around them.
“I’ve never thought a chicken was badass, but she looks hexing fierce!” Caspian laughed, Raptor’s attention turning to him at the comment.
“Note to self... don’t piss off a shadowy chicken,” Drayce laughed as she sent shadows creeping toward Caspian’s toes, pulling away at the last second when Kye cleared his throat.
“Alright, Raptor, what can you do with those shadows?” Kye challenged, the words barely leaving his mouth before she let out a loud squawk, and the shadows grew, forming into concentrated balls that she launched at Kye. They didn’t hurt him, but he was definitely distracted, which would come in handy. “Good job, girl.” At his praise, she puffed out her feathers, letting the shadows disappear, and the smug pair rejoined the group.
“Alright, Hedgie,” Xan prompted, carrying his hedgehog to the field and setting him down before stepping back a few paces. Hedgie didn’t wait for his orders, a white-hot flash of fire erupting in a five-foot radius. We all jumped back or shielded ourselves, shocked when we looked back at the field and the smoking hedgehog that looked far too innocent for the chaos he’d just caused.
“Wow,” Torryn laughed as Xan scooped up his companion and rejoined the others. “Let’s try this, Ruby.”
Tor and his red panda moved away from the rest of us, stopping in the middle of the field. With only a small nod of his head, a wall of bamboo erupted from the ground, forming the perfect wall around them, not even an inch of space between the stalks.
“Hey, Xan! Try to hit it with fire!” Torryn called. Xan didn’t even bother to walk closer, casually throwing a small ball of flame at the bamboo from where he stood. The fireball only left a small charred spot. “Good job, Ruby!” Torryn praised as the bamboo fell back into the ground, revealing them again.
Petunia clearly decided she was next, letting out a snort before she lifted into the air and whizzed past our group. She looped around the pasture, making happy little grunts as she got more comfortable. After a few minutes, her simple movements became more adventurous until Drayce had enough and called her back. She reluctantly flew back, stopping over his head then free-falling, so he had to catch her with a grunt.
“Oh, my goddess. I just saw a pig fly,” I choked out, losing it at the thought of the old saying. The others found it just as funny and cracked up with me. When he caught his breath, Drayce hugged her tighter before setting her down.
“We can at least stun our enemies with the element of surprise,” Drayce mocked, rolling his eyes, but the love and excitement in them gave him away. He loved his adorable little piggy, and honestly, having her do that around a battle really would be a surprise attack. I could picture it now—the council launching magic at us, and Petunia whizzing under their feet, knocking them down and causing chaos.
“Alright, it’s up to us, Coral,” Caspian cooed to his sweet otter, placing a kiss on her fuzzy forehead. He sat her on the grass next to him and stepped back. “Show us what you can do, sweet girl.”
She let out a small squeak of agreement before she zigzagged through the grass, an eruption of icy spikes forming in her wake. The farther she ran, the taller the spikes until it looked like an icy death trap. Who knew such a small creature could cause such intense damage? If she ran through the middle of a close battle or a line of enemies, they’d be hexed out of luck.
She ran back to Caspian, letting out a long string of squeaks and squeals, clearly pleased with herself. He dissolved into baby talk, telling her how amazing she was and nuzzling her close. The pair looked way too innocent for the damage their magic could do.
“I feel like they’re our secret weapon,” Torryn mused, chuckling as he shook his head. With a quick wave of his hand and a muttered word, the field cleared.
“Alright, baby, it’s your time to shine!”
Mr. Stripes gave me one last squeeze before running into the field, sparks flying from his fingertips and his hair standing on end, so he looked fuzzier than ever. It was a mix of adorable and scary. He went through a cycle of mimicked magic, going from shadows to fire to ice to a gust of wind, and finally, to lightning. The fact he chose to do exactly what they all did was a nod to his intelligence, making me wonder if he could actually mimic any of my powers.
“Mr. Stripes, can you do this?” I asked, causing a crater in the ground. He looked from me to it before doing the same only a couple feet away. His was smaller in comparison but executed perfectly. We spent the next twenty minutes cycling through all the single shows of elements I could think of, Mr. Stripes not missing a single beat. When his little eyes got droopy, I realized I’d likely pushed him too far. “Sorry, baby, I think it’s time for food and naps.”
“Good plan,” Torryn agreed. Everyone gathered their familiars and waited for him to drop the barrier.
We were all exhausted but hopeful as we made our way back to the dorms. The fact we saw the extent of our powers and what our familiars could do had given us more confidence than anything else could have.
Look out, council, because you haven’t seen anything yet!
December 5th
Thursday Night
Torryn
Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, including Aris, as dinner passed quickly in a haze of delicious food and joyful talking. Instead of getting up after finishing and moving to the dorms or somewhere else on campus, everyone continued to joke and chat, but I was slowly growing more and more distant, wanting to get away for a little while. So, after another ten minutes, I gave Aris a quick kiss on the head and started for my office.
The walk was quiet since the day was over, the only sound reaching my ears was my shoes on the stone flooring. Turning down a couple halls, I reached my old classroom. Stepping into where I used to teach was odd. I hadn’t been here since returning, choosing to go to my room in the faculty dormitory first. It was empty and quiet as if nothing had changed since we’d left… but everything had. Not knowing if I would ever teach in this room again or even be able to return once we left, a heartbreaking sense of loss filled me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I crossed the room to the office door that was still spelled shut. It only took a moment to press my hands against the wood, letting my ward recognize me before murmuring the counterspell. As soon as the barrier was down, I turned the knob and stepped inside.
The welcoming scent of books and papers greeted me, and I took in a deep breath, letting the smell wash over me. It wasn’t until we’d had to leave, with no idea of when or if we’d ever return, I’d truly appreciated the comfort my office
brought me. I loved teaching at Aether, but having this quiet space where I could unwind was important. I loved my job, but it could be tiring at times, and sharing communal spaces in the teacher’s apartments meant it wasn’t truly my space.
Walking further in, I spelled the fire to start, wanting its calming blue glow. I had just started the flame when I heard the classroom door open.
“Tor? You in here?” Aris called out, her voice hesitant.
“In my office,” I told her, looking out the still-open door. When she spotted me, she perked up, a bright grin spreading across her face. Despite her undeniably beautiful smile, I couldn’t seem to drum up much enthusiasm. “Hey, Gorgeous,” I murmured, pressing my lips to hers when she reached me. Stepping into the office after our kiss, I closed the door behind us quietly.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, picking up on my solemn mood.
“Just... missing here, I guess. It’s only been a few weeks, but it feels like a lifetime.”
“Yeah, that’s how I’ve been, too,” she murmured softly, her silvery eyes trailing over my face. Soft, warm palms cupped my jaw, her fingers stroking my cheeks. “I’m sorry about everything—”
“Don’t apologize, Gorgeous,” I cut her off. “I wouldn’t change anything… except maybe punching Tallis earlier than I did.”
“I know it isn’t my fault, but you all had lives before me, and since I showed up, everything’s been kind of thrown to the wind. I don’t necessarily regret anything, but I do wish we hadn’t had to uproot everything.”
Brushing her hair behind her ear, I took a moment to appreciate her sweet smile. “Why are you so perfect?” Leaning forward, I kissed soft lips, wrapping my arms around her waist and holding her against me.
“Hopefully, one day, we’ll be able to go back to normal life, but until then, we have each other.” Pulling back, I guided her to the couch, situating her sideways on my lap. She kicked off her shoes before propping her mismatched sock-covered feet onto the empty cushion. Wrapping one arm around her back and side, I nudged her to lean into me, my other hand coming to rest on her thigh.
