The Elite Wizard Games (Elite Wizards Chronicles Book 1)

by Gina A. Watson

  By the time we were transported back into the competitor’s area, Drayton had woken up. His face was red as he clenched his fists and stormed off. Joren took one look at him and smirked but I could still see the anger in his eyes. It hadn’t gone since the fight. Lilica jumped around the area, her pink mist surrounding her. The joy in her eyes said it all. As she went to approach me, we were transported away from the stadium. When the colours finally left my eyes, I was surrounded by books. I was returned to my room at the inn. Since I had a couple of hours before I was to return to the stadium, I decided to take a walk around Tolia

  The town was filled with wizards and humans and as I stepped outside of the inn, I was instantly recognised. The crowd surrounded me, congratulating me on being one of the winners and asking questions about what elite guild I would choose. The truth was, I had no idea what guild I was going to pick. All eight of them were amazing and had extremely powerful wizards among the ranks, not to mention the tough jobs the guilds are given. I was always amazed at how the elite guilds were given their job requests.

  Each time a request was made, it went through the Royal Magic Council jobs division, they determined whether the job request was suitable for a standard guild or should be handed up to the elite guilds. When a job is handed up, it is given to all eight of the elite guilds and then chosen by whoever wished to take on the job. Although elite jobs don’t come up too often, the elite guilds were given standard requests as well.

  I was so completely lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realise I had made it to the town wall. I walked along the outside when I noticed engravings along the top lip of the wall— they almost looked like spell runes.

  A noise behind me startled me from the engravings. I spun and looked at the person who snuck up on me. Joren stood there, his body was half-slumped over and his eyes were bloodshot and had dark rings around them. He tried to take a step forwards and collapsed to the ground.

  “Joren!” I called as I rushed to his side. I placed an arm around him and tried to lift him to sit against the wall. He held his head low, so I couldn’t see his face anymore, but I could see he was crying. The heavy rise and fall of his chest were staggered and it looked like he was having trouble breathing.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “That—that final transformation in the Games. It took too much from me. Melanie, something is wrong with me.”

  He finally looked at me and what I saw before was nothing compared to seeing it in full force. The whites of his eyes were completely red and the dark rings around them were darker than I thought. His cheekbones were more evident and protruded out a lot more than they should. I looked him up and down and noticed his clothes were sagging off his body like they had been stretched by someone three times his size. Joren was right in what he said, something was not right with him. I quickly placed my arm around his waist and placed his on my shoulder. Using all my strength, I lifted him off the ground, which turned out to be easier than I expected. Somehow, he was losing weight rapidly. Joren could barely move his legs to walk with me, making me almost drag him along beside me.

  We rushed away from the town wall and back onto the streets of Tolia, and soon we were surrounded by people. I tried to dodge as many people as I could while making sure that Joren was okay. By the time we made it back into the middle of the city, I could feel Joren becoming lighter and lighter in my arms.

  “I’m sorry, Melanie, I ruined your walk.” His voice was raspy and almost inaudible.

  I shook my head. “Don’t apologise, we need to get you to the infirmary.”

  We finally made it to the gates of the stadium when I realised that he hadn’t responded to me. I looked down and noticed he couldn’t even hold up his head anymore. I rushed towards the stadium with every ounce of strength I had left. I pushed through the crowd beginning to wander back into their seats, even though there were still hours before the closing ceremony. Joren’s body sagged in my arms. He was losing more and more of his life force. I picked his body up and rested most of him on my back and over my shoulder.

  I screamed at everyone in front of me to move out of my way as I weaved through the halls towards the infirmary. I darted around pillars and weaved through the crowd as quickly as I could. I could feel Joren’s heartbeat weaken with every moment that passed by. When I saw the infirmary sign, I sped up and burst through the door, yelling for help from every healer they had. They took one look at Joren’s limp body and rushed towards us. They pulled him from my shoulder and laid him on the closest bed. When I saw the state of him, I almost burst out in tears. His body was like a skeleton and he was nothing but skin and bones. One healer moved me further back so they could all work on him.

  As I watched the colour drain from his face, the tears I didn’t know I was holding back came forth. I wanted to run out of there, to get away from the horrible scene before me, but I knew Joren had come to me for a reason. He wanted me to help and I needed to be there for him.

  The time went slowly as the healers worked on Joren, but the worst part was not knowing what was happening. They kept one of their healers constantly holding their healing light over him, I noticed she wasn’t allowed to stop the light flowing. None of the healers spoke to me, and when they did speak to each other, it was so quiet that I couldn’t hear them. Their faces didn’t show anything either, they kept their eyes focused and barely even looked away from him. After almost an hour, I couldn’t wait anymore.

  “What is happening? Is Joren going to be okay?”

  No one answered me. It was almost like they didn’t hear me or couldn’t see me. A few of them whispered something around Joren’s head before continuing with their jobs.

  “Someone answer me! What is going on!” my voice became erratic and almost broke when it came to the final few words.

  One of the healers stopped and pulled me to the side. Her face remained the same but this time, she looked me in the eyes. “You are lucky you got him to us when you did.”

  “Why? What is happening to him?”

  “Mr. Starrik has been poisoned, it’s in his blood, but it is not a normal poison. Ever since it entered his bloodstream, it has been draining his life force and slowly killing him,” she shook her head. “However, we didn’t find any puncture marks from a needle. The only way the poison would be able to enter his bloodstream would be through injection or the use of a very potent blood spell.”

  A blood spell. The healer’s words knocked me back for a moment. The only person that had been near Joren that was able to use blood spells was Drayton. He must have used the spell after the end of the Games. But why would he do that? Poisoning someone was illegal, and the Arcane Guard would arrest anyone using spells of that calibre for treason. The healer must have seen something change in my face because she placed a hand on my shoulder.

  “You have nothing to worry about. Since some of his life force remained when he was brought to us, we were able to start draining the poison from him immediately.”

  “Will he be okay?”

  She nodded. “He will make a full recovery, but he will be in a lot of pain for the next few days.”

  Behind her, Joren stirred in the bed. His groans sounded urgent and like he was in serious pain. He tried to speak but all that came out was incoherent mumbles. I watched as all the healers used their healing light on him and a few minutes later, he was able to open his eyes. I stayed at the side of the infirmary while the healers explained to Joren what was happening with him and how he got there. When they finished, his eyes instantly fell on me and he gave me a pained smile. I gave him a slight nod but before I could do anything, I ran out of the room and sprinted through the stadium. I needed to find Drayton and fast. When he wasn’t anywhere to be seen, I ran as fast as I could out of the stadium and back into Tolia.

  I knew he had to be able to get close to Joren, so he had to be staying in the same inn as us. I crashed my way through the front door and uttered an apology to the innkeeper before demanding which room was D
rayton’s and soon, I had my answer. As soon as I saw his brute of a face, the rage I had been holding back burst to life. I ignited my fire whip, wrapped it around his legs, and pulled it tight, sending him crashing to the ground.

  “If you wanted me tied up little missy, you could have asked.”

  His sleazy voice disgusted me to my core. With my free hand, I brought forth my ice dagger and pressed it firm against his throat.

  “You are going to lift the blood poison spell on Joren right now.”

  Drayton laughed. “Or what? You will kill me? You won’t be any better than me if you do that.”

  I shook my head and pressed the dagger even against his skin more. “No, I won’t kill you. I would leave that to the Arcane Guard.” I paused for a moment and allowed my words to sink in. His eyes went wide and in that second, I knew he was scared. Everyone feared the Arcane Guard. “You will release the spell on Joren or you will be taken by the Guard.”

  I released my grip on Drayton and allowed him to stand. He rubbed his throat and gave me a hard look. Before I could do anything else, a familiar feeling rose inside me and the colours appeared before my eyes. I could see Drayton casting a spell and before I was transported away, I got my final words in.

  “Joren better be at the closing ceremony or I will be coming for you again, and this time, I won’t be alone.”

  The next thing I saw was the hard ground of the arena. Next to me were the three others that won the competition along with me. However, it felt strange standing there without Joren with us. I wondered if Drayton listened to me or if I would be hunting him down after the ceremony. Elijah appeared on his projection screen in the air above us. Before he said anything, a golden glow appeared in front of us, sparks flew in all directions and when the light faded, eight wizards stood in its place. I recognised a few of their faces from the weekly newspaper that came to all the guilds. They were the elite guilds’ masters.

  The four of us stood there in awe. All eight of the masters wore fancy clothes that bore their guild emblem. They were magnificent and terrifying all at once, but something was wrong, something felt off. I hated not having Joren there with us. My thoughts were stopped by the start of the crowd cheering louder than it had before. I wondered why but when I felt something warm and familiar next to me, I couldn’t help but look. Colours appeared in the air beside me and a few moments later, Joren appeared. A huge smile burst onto my face.

  “You’re here.”

  He nodded. “For some reason, I feel better, and somehow, I think it has something to do with you.”

  “I’ll tell you, one day.” I smirked, which only made Joren laugh, but we soon turned our attention to the sky.

  Fireworks exploded in the sky above the stadium. Elijah was still on the screen above us and three more appeared.

  “Welcome to the closing ceremony for the Elite Wizard Games! Tonight, our five winners will choose the elite guild they have fought so hard to join. Standing in front of our winners are the eight masters for the elite guilds,” Elijah paused for a moment to let the crowd calm down. “We will start with the two highest point scorers who will be able to pick first.”

  The point board appeared on the screen and we looked at the final points tally. I spotted my name and was in shock. We had been gone for three days of the Games and I still placed third. Lilica and Joren stepped forwards. They looked at each other before looking over each of the eight masters. When they took their next steps, they both went in the same direction towards the master for the Ivory Fox Guild. The crowd cheered for the two top point scorers.

  Next, it was my turn, I stepped forward from the group and froze in place. I hadn’t put any thought into which guild I wished to be a part of. They all looked amazing, but when I looked over the masters, one caught my eye. I stepped forward and claimed the guild I wished to join: the Sylph Heart Guild.

  After the final ceremony closed, the finalists and the masters joined the other contestants and a few lucky people for an after-party in the castle. It was a chance for the finalists to get to know the master of the guild they had chosen.

  As I entered the ballroom, I instantly saw the others talking with their masters. Lilica and Joren stood with the master of the Ivory Fox Guild and the king of Hythe. Stella ended up picking the Aqua Tail Guild, while Aedus chose the Raven Wing Guild. I scanned the room and found the guild master of my newly chosen guild, Sylph Heart. She was a beautiful woman; her long, silver hair was tied up with loose stands that framed her face. Her eyes matched the lovely colour of her hair and always lit up her face. Her name was Drasna Farina.

  Master Drasna stood staring at the master of the Ivory Fox Guild. As I approached her, she faced me and smiled.

  “Melanie, dear, don’t you look lovely.”

  I was wearing the best dress I had. It was a long, black halter neck dress, it was nothing too fancy, but it was all I had. “Thank you, Master Drasna.”

  “Dear dear, I am not your master yet,” she paused and looked over to the Ivory Fox Guild master again. “Miss Melanie, before this party began, I was approached by Master Titus Drood from the Ivory Fox Guild. It seems he has requested for you to join his guild instead of my own.”

  I gasped. “Is he allowed to do that? I mean, I thought the guild the winners pick was for life.”

  “Sometimes, throughout the Games, a master sets their sights on a wizard and if they win, sometimes the winner will pick them, sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, that master can ask that wizard to join them, as long as they are in fact one of the five who won.” She assessed my face as I stared over to Lilica and Joren. “I can see you have friends in that guild. I will not be upset if you decide to change.”

  I nodded and gave Master Drasna a bow. “Thank you for understanding.”

  I rushed over to my friends and stood beside them. Lilica bounced with joy even though I hadn’t said a word yet. Joren stood there, showing no emotion on his face, but I could see the happiness gleaming in his eyes. He was happy. The master turned and faced me and before I could let him speak, I blurted out what I needed to say.

  “Master Titus, I wish to join the Ivory Fox Guild.”

  20

  A New Life

  Three months later...

  Even though it had been three months since I returned home from the Elite Wizard Games, it still feels like it was yesterday. I returned to the northern continent, Egras, and my home town of Ayer a few days after the Games ended. The Inferno Serpents Guild welcomed me back with open arms and when I told them the news of my victory at the Games, I was returned with mixed emotions. While they were all happy that I won, I could see it in their eyes that they were sad I was leaving. I had grown up in that guild and they were all like family to me.

  I finished packing all my belongings from my dormitory room and finally got word that a coach was coming to collect me and take me to the train. Leaving the Inferno Serpents would be hard, but it was the sacrifice I made when I became an elite wizard.

  As I dragged my things out the front of the dormitory, I was shocked to see everyone in the guild gathered there. Master Zeku stood in front of them all, tears streamed down his face, same with everyone else. I started crying, too.

  “We will miss you, Melanie,” Master Zeku said.

  I nodded and ran up and hugged him. Master Zeku had always been like a father to me ever since my own parents died. Leaving him would be the hardest of all.

  “I’ll miss you, too, Master Zeku.”

  “You must write to us, tell us of all the elite jobs and the powerful wizards you come across. And most of all, don’t forget us, your family.”

  I nodded again and backed up towards my things. Leaving them all would be the start of a new beginning, a new life, but part of me would always be back with them. I could hear the coach coming down the road. Master Zeku helped me bring my bags closer to the edge of the road. When the coach stopped, Master Zeku placed them in the car and gave me another small hug before allowing me to ste
p in. I leaned my head out the window and waved goodbye to my family. As the coach pulled away from my guild, tears pooled in my eyes.

  The trek back to Hythe would take a few days. From there, I would go to the town of Terama, where the Ivory Fox Guild was located. That would take another day or so, and there would be multiple transport changes, coach, train, boat, and then another coach. Although with the scenery I could see along the way, I wasn’t complaining. As the coach made it to the train station, the driver helped me with my bags, and before I could move away from the curb, he drove off. The force of the coach moving knocked me forwards, knocking over my bags and sent my things flying everywhere. Only one person nearby rushed over to help me.

  “Hello there, little pest. We meet again.”

  The voice sounded familiar, and when I saw who it was, I stopped in my tracks. The unmistakeable raven black hair along with the blood-red eyes let me know it was Drayton. My body froze at the sight of the blood wizard and although he didn’t look much different from when I saw him three months ago, there was something different about him. His guild emblem had changed. It was a square shape that circled around in a pattern. It was a guild mark, I knew, but it wasn’t from a normal guild. It was the Phantom Labyrinth Guild, a dark guild. Before I could speak, more dark guild wizards surrounded me, their marks all matching Drayton’s.

  In the background, I could hear that my train would be leaving soon, I needed to get away from the Phantom Labyrinth Guild and especially Drayton.

  “So, I see you’ve changed guilds. Why Phantom Labyrinth?” I asked, trying to bide some time until I could figure out a way to get away from them.

  “After losing at the Games and you threatening me with the Arcane Guard, I found a new purpose in life, and my first act was to find you and get my revenge for ruining my plans.”