by T J Kelly
Thinking fast, I cloaked myself so they couldn’t see me and began running, ducking behind various walls, into ditches, behind vines and bushes, all the while lobbing as many fireballs as I could. The only chance I had was to keep moving and take as many of my rivals out as possible.
Some of their offensive spells almost hit me, but I held a shield of Dark around me. Their fireballs and spell crystals shattered. None of them were able to get through, although I wasn’t certain my shield would hold out against a direct attack from everybody all at once. Luckily, they didn’t have time to think of that because I kept up a barrage of offensive spells myself. By the time they got together and began a joint attack, my shields easily withstood their efforts.
When the last man fell, everyone cheered.
I grinned so hard I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to stop. I couldn’t believe I did it.
Mort trotted to where I was standing. “Great job, Lia!” He clapped me on the back. “Take five. Then we’ll go again. I already have a few new tricks up my sleeves. I want to see if you can stand against them.”
I groaned. “You’re killing me, Mort. I only have to beat my rivals once.”
“True. But you don’t know how tired you’re going to be or how many attacks you’ll go through before you get through the second round. We need to use other spells. You aren’t going to a fireball fight - your opponents are going to use every weapon they have. This time, let’s see how long you can last without attacking anyone at all.”
I drank more water and stretched out again. I was feeling a little shaky and weak. Since it wouldn’t be wise to eat during the trials, I needed to get used to how I felt fighting while I was fasting. Besides, some of those maneuvers would have probably made me throw up if I had anything in my stomach.
Mort was kind enough to give me fair warning that we were about to start again. They would do that during the trials, too. I looked around and realized there were at least a dozen more people standing in the dome ready to fight, including Peter. He had a mischievous grin on his face, and I knew I was about to learn what it was like to be on the receiving end of my best friend’s magic.
The lights went out, and I began running.
◆◆◆
It wasn’t easy, but after losing five times, I finally managed a win.
Thankfully, Mort decided it was a good time for a lunch break. I hobbled off to see Peony in the infirmary so she could patch me up and get me back into fighting form.
“You look like a giant chewed you up and spit you out. What have they been doing to you?”
I gave my aunt a wobbly smile. “It wasn’t so bad. You know we only have a couple of days left, so there isn’t any time left to be gentle. I think Mort is using the ‘Sink or Swim’ method of teaching now.”
Peony tutted her tongue and gave me a jar of cream to dab on my cuts and bruises. Everything she used was indirect magic, mostly herbs and ointments. She used active magic only for the sprained ankle I got when I was dodging the creepy mud creature that Peter created to chase me. I managed to wash it away with some of the swamp water before it tackled me, but it had been a close call.
“How did you do?” Peony asked.
“Pretty good by the end. I learned a lot of creative ways to use the elements as a kind of one-size-fits-all shield. Mort said he was impressed, so I’m practically floating on sunshine.”
Peony chuckled. Mort never gave praise unless it was earned ten times over, so she knew what I meant.
My aunt frowned as she looked over a particularly nasty gash on the back of my head and began to grind some roots and bark in her mortar and pestle. She mixed a special poultice that would keep me from getting one of those nasty swamp fevers and heal me by the next day.
“What are you guys up to this afternoon?” she asked while she worked.
“We’re reviewing the business tasks again. Mort said he has special plans, but I already know how to do them. I don’t know why we need to go over that again.”
“Oh, honey, if that’s the case, I better make a few more batches of this,” Peony said, pointing to the nearly empty jar of cream I had just used. “It’s rare, but there are no rules against attacking the other competitors in the first round.”
“Are you kidding me?” I groaned, then crossed my arms on the counter next to my chair and laid my head down, suddenly exhausted. “Surely there’s no reason to think anyone would be attacked while working in a lab. Why didn’t the Council forbid it?”
Peony rested her hand lightly on my head, gently stroking my hair. Rather than being annoyed somebody was patting my hair again, I felt comforted.
“That was the argument for creating a rule prohibiting interaction between competitors at that stage. In the end, they decided that there were enough companies with an international presence that it was likely some of the business tasks would need to be performed under less than ideal conditions.”
I snorted. “You mean, conducted in third world countries and war zones. They’re right I guess, but I’m sick of training right now. I can’t wait for the trials to be over.”
“Do you feel ready?”
“Ah, no. I mean, I know my magic well enough now, and goodness knows I’ve plenty of tricks up my sleeves, but doing it all in front of an audience? On camera? And standing against people who hate me and want me dead? I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for something like that.” I lifted my head as I rubbed my eyes, then looked at Peony. “They’re going to gang up on me. Peter brought some messages back with him from the City. Rector Enterprises officially announced that they’re backing my bid for ownership.”
It wasn’t unheard of for a company to give an endorsement before somebody even signed up for the trials. It helped the standing of the competitors and often was the crucial step to getting the right kind of backers.
“I’m sure they’re just trying to help,” she said.
“Oh, I know it. They probably think they’re helping me gather partners to take into the ring with me since nobody knows I’ve managed to ascend, much less have the strength to do the job. Not even the Taines know. They only saw a couple of feeble attempts at a shield and heard me screaming a lot when they attacked me outside of the castle grounds. Still, the endorsement just adds to the pressure. I’m glad, though. Really. It helps to know they have faith in me. Or if they don’t have faith, they at least like me better than anyone else.”
Peony grinned. “And you’re pretty. Don’t forget that.”
I laughed. Every time I messed up over the past months, which was countless times, I told Peony that at least I could take comfort in the knowledge that I was pretty. It cracked her up every time.
“Oh, no, I won’t forget that. It might end up being my biggest asset.”
Peony rolled her eyes and applied the poultice, pressing it firmly against my skull, then wrapped a bandage around my head to hold it in place. “Keep this on all afternoon. When you wash it off in the shower tonight, the cut should be completely healed.”
I hopped up and gave my aunt a quick hug. “Thanks, Aunt Peony. I’m going to miss these special moments together once I’m through the trials. We’re going to have to find a new way to squeeze in some girl time without me being smashed to bits every three or four hours first.”
Peony hugged me back. “Definitely.”
TWENTY
The Dotted Line
There were only two days left before the trials, and I was falling apart. I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment. My heart was always pounding like crazy in my chest, even when I sat still, and the palms of my hands were constantly damp.
It was time to leave my uncle’s castle and sign up for the competition. No more hiding for me.
We knew there would be cameras, so Peony and I both dressed up. My aunt was wearing a silk blouse in a soft butter yellow paired with a navy blue skirt. She suggested I wear an outfit designed for me when the stylist had come to the castle. The fabric had a simple pattern of brown and
gold. My aunt was trying to play up my eyes again.
I was applying the finishing touches to my makeup while my aunt agonized between wearing a scarf or long chain necklace. I eyed her outfit and nodded towards the necklace, and she clasped it around her neck. She was so beautiful and delicate looking. I couldn’t help but feel a bit like a troll standing next to her. Turning back to the mirror, I finished my eyeliner, then we headed downstairs.
“You both look beautiful,” my uncle said.
Chas moved to my side and took my hand with flattering haste. He murmured, “Definitely,” and then winked.
Peter, Chas, and I shared the leather-covered bench on one side of the carriage with Peony and Armageddon on the other. Guards sat with the driver and stood on the running boards along the sides. I didn’t envy them their trip since we had to use a transfer spell to get to the City quickly and secretly.
“As soon as we arrive, we’ll go through the side door,” my uncle explained. “The administration offices are on the third floor. Take the set of stairs to the right as soon as you get in. The side door is usually locked, but I called in a favor so we can avoid the media camped out in front. Lia, you’ll have to turn in the contract I gave you last night, but don’t sign it until you’re in the office. You must use one of their pens. There’s a spell on them so only the person who possesses the name can sign on the dotted line. Make sure you use your entire name.”
My uncle talked the whole trip with only one short pause when we transitioned right outside his border gate to downtown San Francisco. He reviewed the layout for the entire building with us, which corners and blind spots to avoid, where Council guards were posted, where ours would stand while we were in the building, how many would remain outside, and where the reporters had staked out their vantage points.
The day before the trials always found a frenzied crowd at the Council building, hoping to catch last-minute entrants. We chose to arrive a day earlier than they expected so they would miss me signing up. However, the media was always there, and there was no avoiding them.
I peered into my purse again, checking for the hundredth time that my contract packet was still in there. And like each of the ninety-nine other times I looked, it was.
“Lia, Peony is your assigned guard. We’ll all try to remain near you, but if something comes up or we’re interrupted by your competitors or the media, Peony will stick to your side like glue. If we get separated, the rallying point is the women’s bathroom on the ground floor. It’s tucked away at the back of the building and isn’t far from the hall leading to the side door. Hardly anyone uses it because there’s a much nicer bathroom in the lobby. There shouldn’t be crowds in that area.”
I met Peony’s eyes. She smiled at me but remained silent. I think Armageddon felt better going over the same details again. That was fine by me. My nerves made me absentminded, and I already forgot everything he had told me the night before. Trying to stop myself from thinking about what might happen, I ran through several protection spells in my mind.
The carriage jolted, and I looked out the window. The Council building was only a block away. We veered down a side-street close to where all the other carriages were parked, and in a moment, we were at the door.
The pounding of my heart shook the fabric of my blouse. I tried to keep my breathing steady as I slung my purse diagonally across my shoulder, gripping it tightly while the others prepared to leave the carriage.
We disembarked and entered the building surrounded by the guards. Our entrance came off without a hitch as if we had practiced the maneuver several times. The stairs were on the right, exactly like my uncle said, and we hurried up them. I was breathless when we reached the third floor, but we didn’t stop to rest. We kept moving until we rounded the corner leading to the business offices that handled the trial competition.
A handful of people were milling around in a large, open sitting area. The offices themselves were penned in by glass walls and a glass door. I wish they gave us more privacy, but the Council made money off of the trials, and the more media hype, the better as far as they were concerned. They did everything within camera shot.
A few of the men waiting in the sitting area looked up as we passed and their eyes lingered on us. I stepped into the glass-enclosed office with Peony while the rest of our group remained outside waiting for me.
“May I help you?” The receptionist was lovely, an older woman about my aunt’s age. She seemed nice.
“I’m here to sign the contract for the Rector Enterprises trials,” I said.
The woman’s eyes widened as she studied me and then narrowed shrewdly. “Certainly. Do you have your packet?”
“Yes, I have it here.” I opened my purse and slipped the contract out. I set it on the counter. “Do you have a pen?”
“Here you are,” the receptionist said. “As soon as you sign the contract, I’ll make a copy for you and the file before sending the original up to the Council. Please sign the register with your full name and place your finger on the glass screen.”
I signed the register, “Mirabilia Rector, Praelia Nox.” It was my full legal name, although most people would call me by my magician’s name in the competition. I pressed my finger to the glass screen where the receptionist had indicated. A bar of light moved from the top of the tiny window to the bottom, recording my print and biorhythm. There was a small flash. I yanked my finger back after I felt a sharp prick. A blood sample was needed to bind the contract statement that I could work magic.
My uncle said I technically could have forced my way into the competition even if I still couldn’t access my magic. No one had ever done that before, so Armageddon had formed a complicated backup plan just in case my magic had remained dormant. Fortunately, we didn’t need to implement it. Standing on the stadium floor without magic was the absolute last thing I ever wanted to do.
The receptionist finished validating my identity. “Oh, Ms. Rector! I thought I recognized you. How nice to see you. I knew your parents. I’m sorry for your loss. They were wonderful people.”
“Ah, thank you, ma’am. Here’s my contract.” I slid the signed packet to the receptionist. Darkness no longer threatened to overtake me whenever my parents were mentioned, but I still felt uncomfortable speaking about them.
“I’ll make the copies right now,” she said and walked to the copy machine located in plain sight. Armageddon told me that I wasn’t to take my eyes off of the contract for one second until after I received my copy, and it was easy enough to comply with his request. Magicians were a suspicious lot, but with good reason. Sly competitors in the past would try to change the contracts to allow an opening for additional attempts to take over the business at a later date.
The receptionist handed me my copy which I immediately stuffed into my purse. Peony smiled and bid the woman a good day as we left. Registration had gone so smoothly I thought we were home free. Of course, that’s when everything went wrong.
The moment I stepped through the glass door into the hallway, flashes from three different cameras went off. Apparently, the media had been skulking around where I couldn’t see them. I hastily turned my face away and made my way towards the stairs. They must have called for reinforcements because the staircase we had used was blocked by a bevy of reporters, all calling my name.
They pelted me with questions. “Ms. Rector! Have you come to sign up for the trials? Do you have your magic? Do you have a team of magicians waiting to compete for you? What designer are you wearing?” I wondered if anyone ever answered them. I couldn’t see how since they talked so fast they never gave me a chance to respond. Not that I was going to say anything.
Peony and I walked to the central staircase quickly, knowing it was our best chance of getting downstairs. Chas, Peter, and Armageddon were caught on the other side of the crowd of reporters. They would have to push their way through and meet us downstairs as planned.
My aunt looped her arm through mine and whisked me down the stairs. I was
positive she used magic because none of the reporters were able to follow until we were already halfway down to the next level. The media wasn’t known for respectful distances. More cameras were waiting below, but Peony rushed me through. We made it to the ground floor and the bathroom that was our rallying point with a sigh of relief.
“Let’s go inside. I’ll put a charm on the door that’ll discourage them.” Peony hustled me into the bathroom. There were two women in there already. The younger one was about eighteen and had leaned close to the mirror so she could fix her makeup. The other woman, likely in her mid-twenties, propped herself up casually against the counter.
The younger woman looked up, and our eyes met in the mirror. She was a gorgeous blond with blue-green eyes. She wrinkled her nose a little and then turned to face me. “Oh look, Sister. It’s Lia Rector.”
I froze. I might not know her, but I recognized the mocking tone she used. Obviously, she knew exactly who I was. It didn’t bode well that they were in the bathroom nobody used. Maybe they had been waiting for me.
“Oh, Lia. Right. I’m so glad we had the chance to see you after all,” the other woman said. She sounded as if seeing me was the last thing in the world she wanted. “You probably don’t remember me. The last time we met you were covered in mud and making quite a racket. It’s nice to see you learned how to clean off the muck, even if it’s only for the afternoon.”
“I have no idea who you are,” I said, annoyed. “But you seem like a shrew. Since I don’t waste my time or energy on people like you, I’m not surprised I don’t recognize you.”
The older woman’s eyes flashed as she pushed away from the counter. The younger woman put her hand out as if to stop her, but her sister addressed me anyway.
“Watch who you’re calling names, you talentless mute. At least we can use our magic. My uncle told us all about how you humiliated yourself in front of everyone including the mayor. I wish I’d been there. That must have been hilarious. Now back away so we can leave, or we’ll show you what using magic is like.”
