Soul Fire (24 page)

To my disbelief, the mages from Gowar and Abdoor
arrived the day after next, early in the morning. I watched
with the other students as they came from Keyes, riding
the most magnificent horses I’d ever seen, bar Echo. They
wore long sweeping cloaks, surveying the Academy as
they drew closer. I realised that all of them would’ve been
schooled here. A few students like Ispin and Eleanora
broke ranks and ran to those they recognised, who
dismounted to embrace them.

Iain and Netalia swept out to meet them, their cream
cloaks billowing in the autumn breeze. I stood next to
Dena and Rain as we watched them head to the stables.

“So many,” Theresa said behind us. “Why does this
make me even more nervous?”
True to his word, Iain had offered the students
protection if they didn’t want to fight. No one had taken
up his offer.
However, he had neglected to tell them that Phoenix
was the object of their desire. Instead he had told us to
stick together.
“We’ll keep you on the upper levels. The rest of us will
be down stairs to meet them as they try to come in,” he
had said. “Keep close to each other.”
Phoenix had blatantly refused refuge in the catacombs
beneath the Academy. He was determined to fight, and if
it came to it, come face to face with his monster of a foster
father.
“I’ll end it if I can,” Phoenix had said, and I didn’t want
to ask him what he’d meant.
The day that the other mages arrived, the Academy was
a hive of activity. Today, as it had been every day since
we’d begun weapons training, Jett was endlessly drilling
us. As night began to fall, we expected the class to come to
a halt. Instead, Jett set about rigging up some contraption
that involved six sandbags hanging from the ceiling.
“Alright. These mages are cowards,” Jett nodded an
apology at Phoenix, who accepted it with a half shrug.
“They’ll attack one mage with six. This is to teach you
how to manage several enemies at once.”
For the next twenty minutes I watched as the other
students attempted to fend off the sandbags. Jett
controlled them with his magic, commanding the ropes to
shorten so that they would swing higher and faster,
dropping the ropes lower so they would be slow but
deadly. I watched Dustin fight them off for about two
minutes, using his scythe. It was when Dustin began to
tire that Jett sent all six at him simultaneously. He was
knocked out.
“And that’s exactly what they’ll do,” Jett explained, as
Eleanora revived Dustin with magic. “When they see you
tiring, they’ll attack in force. It’s extremely dangerous.”
Phoenix went next, using small throwing daggers to
split the ropes holding the sandbags (and in theory
incapacitating the mage the sandbag resembled). He got
three before the other three converged on him, one
clipping him on the back of the neck and sending him into
another that took him out. I winced.
The rest of them ended up with pretty much the same
results. Eleanora held them off longest out of anybody,
using her arrows to sever the ropes. Eventually she was
taken out by one she’d forgotten, turning her back to it. It
walloped her in the back of the head, and she hit the floor
hardest out of anyone. I was left until last and by then I
was itching to try.
“Ok, Sky.” Jett called, gesturing for me to take my
place. He’d repaired the ropes and all six sandbags now
waited menacingly.
“Can I use the swords?” I asked tentatively. The
students looked at each other; they remembered Netalia’s
fury at my using them.
Jett nodded slowly, and removed them from the wall. I
settled them on my back, their weight now familiar.
I stepped into the centre of the circle and took a deep
breath. The first sandbag swung at me and I rolled out of
its path, feeling the swords cut into my shoulder blades
but not drawing them; I would wait for the opportune
moment.
Another sandbag came at me from the right, sweeping
low. I somersaulted forwards. In a lightning fast
movement as the bag went past, I used my right hand to
draw the left sword and severed the rope as it swung past.
It crashed to the ground. I knew I had to take out as many
as I could before I began to get tired. Two swung at me,
from opposite directions, just as another two swung at me
from behind me, approaching from the right.
Rendered unable to roll in any direction, I dropped flat
on my stomach, feeling the breeze ruffle my hair as they
swung over my head. The two that had been on my right
were the biggest worry; as they reached their apex, they
began to swing back. I sheathed the swords, and flung two
daggers I’d clipped to my belt. I’d gotten lucky; despite my
terrible aim that had me failing Archery, they severed the
ropes of both of the bags. Two down, three to go.
All three remaining sandbags rocketed towards me. I
dodged out of the way of one, right into the path of
another. With a split second to make a decision, I
unsheathed my right sword using my left hand and,
mimicking the attack I used on Phoenix, drew my arm
back across my chest with the sword extended. It sliced
through the rope and the sandbag dropped to the ground.
It was then an easy matter to dart across the path of the
remaining two as though playing a game of chicken,
severing the rope of one and dodging the other as it went
past. I planted myself directly in its path as it began to
swing back at me. As it slowly gathered momentum, I
sheathed my swords.
Ignoring the outbursts from the rest of the students, I
locked eyes on the sandbag and stared it down as much as
one can stare down an inanimate object. Judging the bag
to be at the perfect point for what I had in mind, I quickly
stepped into the stance I’d learnt so long ago. With one
fluid movement, I summoned a fireball of green flames,
directing them at the sandbag. The fire completely
obliterated the sandbag, leaving only a charred rope
swinging harmlessly and a few burnt grains of sand
trailing to the floor.
“Well, just as well you were last, Sky.” Jett said
laughing at the classes stunned silence; they’d completely
forgotten they could use magic.
We ate and headed back to our rooms. I had taken my
twin swords with me, as per Iain’s instructions for
everybody to be armed at all times and Jett’s
recommendation that I ditched the heavy broadsword that
I normally relied on. I had just closed the door to my room
when somebody knocked on it.
Without waiting for an answer, Phoenix quickly
stepped inside, closing the door hurriedly lest anyone see.
“Where’s Larni?” he asked, still standing backed up
against the door.
“Iain sent all of the Academy’s servants to Keyes, why?”
I said, puzzled.
My question was answered when he crossed the room
in two strides and pulled me into his arms. He hugged me
tightly, swords and all, pressing his lips to my hair.
“Phoenix,” I murmured, leaning my cheek on his chest.
“This isn’t the end.”
“I know, I know,” he murmured softly. “But... it’s just...
I know what Aloysius can do. And these friends of his
aren’t friends of mine at all.”
“We’ve got all of these mages here to help us,” I said,
trying to reason with him.
“Yes, we do, and he’ll be ready for them,” Phoenix
dropped his arms from me and began to pace the room. “I
don’t know what Iain is playing at. With an opposing
force this big he may as well declare war on Orthandrell!”
“We’re not the ones who started it!” I protested, utterly
terrified by this mention of war.
“They won’t see it that way,” Phoenix bunched his hair
into a short ponytail. “And trust me, Sky; they have the
means to finish it.”
I watched him march about. After a while I asked a
question which had been nagging me.
“Why has Orthandrell been allowed to amass an
opposing force this big?”
“Who was going to stop them? Iain and Netalia?” he
snorted. “They’re two mages against two hundred. Even if
they wanted to get involved with the northern states, they
wouldn’t. Each to their own is practically their motto.
And many of the mages don’t come to the Academy for
schooling, instead letting the other mages teach them.
Sometimes a mage with the wrong idea comes along, and
corrupts a whole bunch of them. This is what Aloysius has
done, and for some reason he is eager for me to be at his
side.”
Someone knocked on the door and we both jumped.
My heart hammering in my chest, I opened the door,
poking my face out. I was met with a very disapproving
glare from Jett.
“I know Phoenix is in there,” he said, and I let him into
the room.
“You two aren’t doing so well at the subtlety.”
“It’s a bit difficult,” I said, sitting on my bed and
crossing one leg over the other. “We might soon lose each
other forever.”
“If Iain and Netalia catch wind of your carrying on, you
wil
lose each other forever,” Jett snapped. “Remember
what I said, Sky.”
He left as quickly as he’d arrived. Phoenix watched him
go and then sighed heavily.
“He’s right. I better go.”
I jumped up as he went to leave, holding his arm so he
couldn’t. He turned back to me and I stretched up on my
toes to kiss him. He didn’t pull away, and it was with
regret that I broke our contact.
“Sorry,” I said unapologetically.
Instead of answering, he kissed me again. I wrapped my
arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His arms
encircled my waist and we revelled in finally being alone
since the mountains.
I thought I’d melt as he kissed me slowly. Kissing him
was nothing like kissing Dustin; I lost track of time as we
stood in the middle of my room.
After what felt like a few hours, we broke apart, though
stayed close together with our eyes closed. He brushed my
cheek with his thumb.
“I should actually leave now,” he murmured, and I
couldn’t help but smile a little.
“Sorry,” I said again, but it meant even less than it had
before.
He made his way to my door. Before opening it, he
leant down and kissed me on my forehead, right between
my eyes.
I closed the door behind him and put a finger to my
lips, savouring the new memories I now had. I was
interrupted by a sound from under my bed.
I drew my swords immediately, all romantic thoughts
fleeing from my mind.
“Who’s there?” I asked.
My jaw dropped when Larni scrambled out from
underneath the bed.
“Larni?” I asked. I shouldn’t be so surprised though, I
thought. “Why were you under there?”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, miss, they wanted to send me
to Keyes, but I want to help!”
“So you hid under my bed?” I blushed furiously as I
thought about the goings on that had just occurred. “So
you, um... you saw?”
She went just as red.
“Sorry. I didn’t look, I promise,” she said quickly.
I sheathed my swords.
“Lucky it didn’t go any further,” I muttered to myself,
for those thoughts had definitely been on my mind.
“Larni, you’re in danger. You can’t stay here.”
“I’m not in danger if I’m here with you,” she replied
steadily, and her unwavering confidence in my abilities
touched me. “Besides, people are going to get hurt, and
you mages just don’t know how to look after yourselves.
You’ll need someone here to look after you all!”
“Well I can’t take you to Keyes now; you’ll get in
trouble for staying behind. What about your family?
Won’t they be worried about you?”
She shook her head.
“My parents are mages, and will be fighting along with
the rest of you. And Mother trusts me. She said I’m always
sensible.”
“Except for now. Please stay out of the way of the
fighting, Larni,” I said worriedly.
“I have no interest in the fighting, miss, I’m more
concerned about the aftermath. People will get hurt,” her
fingers trembled as she retied the bow on her apron. “Your
friend Dena will need help.”
She was making a lot of sense, but I was still concerned
about her. I pulled my belt knife from the sheath and
lengthened it. I handed her the knife, sheath and all.
“I want you to carry that at all times,” I said, and she
took it reluctantly. “Here, I’ll show you how to hold it.”
“I know how to hold it,” she said, and held it with the
blade pointing up.
“That is one way,” I said, taking it from her. “But it can
sometimes be awkward to get a good position from there.
Here, point it down.”
She did as I said, and then I showed her how it was
easier to stab someone from that position. Her hand shook,
but she nodded steadily.
“I’m going down for dinner. I’ll bring some extra up,” I
said. “While everyone’s down in the mess hall, try to find
something you can sleep on, otherwise you can just sleep
in my bed with me.”
“Alright,” she said quietly. “Sky?” I turned back. “Thank
you.”
I just nodded and shut the door behind me. I was a little
upset that she’d stayed. I didn’t want anything to happen
to her, though I knew her reasoning was spot on. Dena
would need help after the battle, and I hoped desperately
that some of the mages who were staying were healers as
well so that the burden wouldn’t fall completely on her
and the matrons.
I wished that I was a better healer. I’d be able to take
care of my own cuts and scrapes, but I drew the line at
working on other people. I thought Dena was immensely
brave for working to become a healer, though she seemed
to love every second of it.
The mess hall was crawling with people. I loaded my
plate up with something of everything, and it was only as I
reached the end of the food line that I wondered where it
was all coming from. I found my group at our table and sat
down next to Ispin.
“I thought all of the servants left?” Yasmin asked, as I
sat and Theresa smiled.
“Cook refused to leave. Gods help the rogue mages if
they cross her.”
That answered my question. I tucked into the roast
meats and potatoes, occasionally ‘dropping’ some into my
lap so that I could wrap up a small parcel of food for Larni.
Conversation was strained. Our nerves hadn’t run this
high since we visited Riverdoor, and now the threat was
worse; it was right on our home turf. I watched Dena
mutter to herself, small blue flares of magic sparking
under her fingertips as she recited the spells for her
healing. I shuddered as I watched. It was like going in for
surgery, or to get an injection. We were going to get hurt
in this attack. Pain was right on the threshold.
We all finished our dinner and began dragging our feet
back to our rooms. We were stopped by Theresa halfheartedly suggesting the games room, and we all leapt at
the opportunity to not be alone.
“I’ll be back in a tick,” I told them, hiding the little food
parcel out of sight.
Before I could get very far, Dena caught up with me,
pressing another parcel into my hands.
“For Larni,” she said quietly, then winked and trotted
back down the stairs nonchalantly.
I smiled to myself. Dena seemed to notice everything
that happened in our group. My smile became more
private. Well... not everything.