Tested by the Night (11 page)

They’d all told her the same exact thing. In order to survive one of High Mystic Purrell’s classes with her mind not only intact, but still her own, there was one cardinal rule of mysticism she must never break. Pay attention, pay attention, pay attention.

Pay attention to every single detail no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time. Pay attention to every thought that comes to mind and analyze its origin to make sure it was her own and not planted. And pay special attention to the actions of those around her, no matter how innocent appearing.

It was a rule she certainly hadn’t adhered to very well today.

She sighed. It was imperative to be ever vigilant. To never, not ever, for any reason let her mind simply wander while in the presence of another mystic. Especially not within the range of someone as powerful as High Mystic Purrell. The man was a complete and total pervert.

She shuddered, and goose bumps prickled her arms.

Mia locked gazes with her instructor. “Trust me. I’ll be more diligent in the future.”

****

Mia missed having a girlfriend to talk to. She missed Kit. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. They’d planned on attending The Academy of Magical Arts together. They’d talked about it for years, planned every detail. They’d spent more turns of the hourglass than she could remember discussing their clothes, their classes, their dorm rooms, and even who their boyfriends would be. But now Kit and Zander were married. The dream was over, she was all alone, and nothing would ever be the same again.

She glanced around the crowded lunch room. It was the strangest sensation to not see one single face that was even remotely familiar. And it was even stranger to realize no one was looking at her, watching her, following her, seeking her audience, trying to catch her eye, or happy to see her. For the first time in ever so long, she was as much of a stranger to these people, as they were to her. It was freeing…almost. But then again, it was somewhat creepy in its deviation from what she’d always considered normal.

Loneliness washed over her. Then she chuckled to herself. Would she never be satisfied with the hand life dealt her? How many times over the past few years had she longed for this very situation? To be no more than simply another face in the crowd, a stranger, nobody special, if even for a short while?

But then, sitting all alone while eating her mostly cold lunch without being scrutinized wasn’t the real reason behind her feelings of loneliness. It was because Kit wasn’t here, and to boot, Talon Starkweather wasn’t anywhere around to interrupt her bout of self-pity. And even though she hated to admit it, especially to herself, it was more than that. She missed the sight of him, the sound of his voice, the scent of his skin, his smile, his touch. How much longer would he stay out hunting with Pearl? After all, how long could it take to fill up the belly of one little bitty dragon?

That thought brought her up short. When had Talon Starkweather’s whereabouts or doings become important in the least? They shouldn’t be, especially since she was determined to take on Queen Adrina’s challenge. There was no time or room in her life for distractions, especially the male barbarian type. And what did the oh-so-arrogant man really matter in the scheme of things anyway? No matter how much her heart disagreed, he was nothing to her. He was Zander’s friend, and though a Sir in his own right due to his service to her brother, he was still a commoner by birth. Even though his father had once been Magistrate of Bane. A fact she’d best not forget.

And so what if Talon wasn’t here at her beck and call. There were certainly plenty of other males in the lunch room as worthy of her gaze, her attention, and who could surely take her mind off missing her best friend and the too-sexy-for-his-own-good barbarian. Weren’t there? After all, wouldn’t it be a shame if she wasted this rare opportunity of getting to look her fill while not being scrutinized herself? Why, it would almost be a sin if she didn’t relax, sit back, and absorb the ambiance of the room, of The Academy? It would be prudent even.

With a smile, Mia sipped her tea, nibbled her scone, and indulged in one of her favorite pastimes, people watching.

At a table across the room from her sat three high elf males chatting gaily. Their bright blue eyes twinkled with mischief, and their crisply pointed ears twitched every time they laughed. They were all blond, long legged, broad chested, and if the white novice tunics they were wearing was any indication, they were first year healers. A blush heated her cheeks. She’d heard tales about the healer program and what went on behind those closed doors.

One of them glanced her way, smiled, and winked. The blush immediately cooled on her cheeks, and she quickly looked away. Handsome the high elf might be and with an easy smile, but still, he was no Talon Starkweather. And not only wasn’t he anywhere close to being in the same league as Talon, but he reminded her greatly of Alistair Von Daggertoss and what she’d earlier done to his father.

The bite of scone she was attempting to swallow lodged in her throat, and she choked. Her eyes watered, she coughed, gagged, and sputtered. And to make matters worse, when she opened her eyes, the sight of her cousin, Pierced, came into sharp focus as he rushed across the room toward her with what looked to be a long beige and red balloon-like thing tucked up under his arm.

She closed her eyes again, not wanting to be noticed and certainly not wanting to be any part of whatever Pierced was up to today.

She wasn’t that lucky, however. Within the space of three heartbeats the little gnome was pounding her sharply between her shoulder blades with his pudgy fists. “Are ya all right there, coz? I know that hiney-lick maneuver if’n ya be in need. And though I prefer my hiney-holes ta have a set of balls and a cock attached ta the other side of them, I’d make an exception for ya. If’n it’d save ya life.”

Mia shook her head and finally swallowed down the lump of scone. “That won’t be necessary, Pierced. I’m fine, really, I am.”

Heat infused her cheeks once more as she looked up. Every eye in the lunch room, male and female was trained on her. So much for her short lived anonymity. And as if the fact people were openly gawking at her wasn’t bad enough, Pierced chose that moment to loudly explain exactly what he was up to.

He pushed her food out of the way and tossed a big, naked blow-up doll with bushy bright red hair and a round wide-open pink mouth right across her table and grinned.

Mia wasn’t sure which was more disturbing, the blow-up doll or the gnome. Pierced with his ridiculously long scarlet cape thrown over a bright yellow tunic that clashed with the black and white makeup he used to make himself look Goth, or the over-sized plastic man, with its springy red fiber hair sprouting not only from its head, but also from under both its arms and around its semi-erect plastic penis.

“Meet Bruno the barbarian,” Pierced grinned. “He’s my new boyfriend. Unlike Steve, he won’t be leaving me for some stupid fake sheep with a deep throat and a wooly butt hole. I own him. Got the receipt ta prove it. I can play the plastic fetish card as good as the next guy. Better than some. Ya watch and see if I can’t.”

She could feel a hundred pair of eyes on her. She wanted to crawl under the table. She wanted to cast a disappearing spell. She wanted to somehow turn back time and skip lunch entirely. She didn’t do any of those things, however. Instead, Mia ignored their audience and smiled at her strange little gnome cousin as she grasped the blow-up doll’s cool plastic hand. “Nice to meet you, Bruno. I’m sure you and Pierced will be very happy together.”

She could hear giggling behind her and the scuff of chairs as people moved away. One dark elf female sniggered while a halfling debutant chuckled, and a human girl sitting all by herself in the corner gasped.

It was on the tip of Mia’s tongue to make up an excuse and flee when an entirely new disturbance caught everyone’s attention. Ohfeelya Upz, in a lime green tunic barely containing her corpulent breasts and spruce leggings so tight they looked as if she’d been poured into them, came lumbering across the lunch room. Her mouth was hanging open and the wart on the side of her nose wiggled with every step she took.

She stopped right beside Mia’s table, and the dropping of a pin could be heard in the lunchroom it was suddenly so quiet.

“There ya are cousin Pierced.” She squealed. “I’ve been looking all over the school for ya.”

The little gnome sighed. “Ohfeelya, how many times do I have ta tell ya ta quit following me around? I have my own classes and my own friends. I can’t be seen hanging out with my…my cousin. Especially my girl cousin. It’s simply not done. I’m gay, and I’m Goth. It’s bad for my reputation.”

The oversized half gnome-half ogre female hung her head. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I saw ya talking with Mia, and she’s ya cousin, too, kind of. So I didn’t think ya’d mind.”

Pierced shook his head. “Mia’s not a cousin by blood. Anyway, she’s a princess and pretty and popular ta boot. Everybody who’s anybody wants ta be seen talking ta her.”

“Oh,” Ohfeelya gulped. “I didn’t realize. I understand. I’ll leave.”

Pierced nodded. “That’d probably be for the best.”

Mia glared at him. “No, Ohfeelya, please don’t go. I’d love to have your company. We didn’t get much of a chance to chat last night at dinner, and I’m in the need of girl talk.”

“Really?” Ohfeelya gasped. “Ya sure? Most people try their best ta avoid me.” She rung her hands. “I don’t blame them, though. And I won’t blame ya either if ya change ya mind. I know I’m different. Mamma says it’s because of my size. I’m considered generously proportioned for a gnome.”

Mia smiled and gestured toward an empty chair. “And I’m considered ridiculously small for a barbarian. That gives us something in common.”

Pierced rolled his eyes as he grabbed up his blow-up doll and walked away.

Mia heard whispers and the occasional twitter behind her. She didn’t care, though. Kit might as well be a million miles away, Talon was still nowhere in sight, and after lunch, she’d be facing High Mystic Purrell and his lab class for beginning mystics.

As far as she was concerned, simple girl talk with Miss Ohfeelya Upz was just what she needed to take her mind off of what was to come.

Chapter Eight

“Suck swish swirl swallow. Suck swish swirl swallow. Suck swish swirl swallow. Suck swish swirl swallow.”

It was worse than she could’ve ever imagined.

Mia watched in horror as over and over, High Mystic Purrell, flicked his wrist and rhythmically tapped four of her fellow female classmates on the top of their heads with his pointer while he chanted.

The girls, two high elves, a halfling, and a dwarf, were positioned on a revolving fur covered pedestal in the middle of the room. They were on their knees, situated between the spread legs of four naked from the waist down, grinning-like-fools male students. The girls had their hands braced on the guy’s knees, and their heads were bobbing up and down in unison as they sucked their corresponding partner’s engorged penises. Their eyes were wide open but unseeing, their breathing rapid but steady, and without a doubt, they were in some kind of a weird trance.

“Suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow, such swish swirl swallow,” High Mystic Purrell droned on and on.

She wanted to look away, really she did. She didn’t wish to be a part of or give credence to the high mystic’s sick demonstration of mind control. She couldn’t, though.

It was like the time she’d been caught observing an illegal back alley tournament where a skinny, little human knight had been pitted against a much bigger, much stronger troll champion. She’d been grounded for a season for that one. Or the day she’d skipped classes, sneaked out, and against her parents dictates viewed the death and destruction left in the wake of an unexpected and unusually vicious ice storm.

The recollection of those very eye-opening, unpleasant instances were and would always be ingrained upon her memory. And now there was yet another to add to the growing pile of things she’d never forget but wished she could.

“Suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow.”

The mystic’s voice was ever so compelling, smooth, and lyrical. And though a part of her wanted to look away from the scene unfolding upon the pedestal, an even bigger part kept her glued to the disturbing show.

But that wasn’t the only reason she didn’t look away, and she knew it. For if she glanced away for even a second, she knew her eyes would be drawn toward her instructor, and that was something Mia definitely didn’t wish to do.

High Mystic Purrell was naked. And not just a little naked. The man was completely, unabashedly, totally naked as the day he was born. Not one stitch hid anything about him from view except for the blond hair that covered the majority of his head. It was even more disturbing than the four way blowjob going on right before her eyes.

“Suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow, suck swish swirl swallow.”

Mia’s eyelids felt heavy, and the room suddenly became nap time warm. She shook her head to clear it and concentrated on not looking anywhere except at the performers.

Not that seeing a naked male body was a bad thing. She’d always enjoyed the sight of a well-made man. And if truth be told, High Mystic Purrell had nothing to be ashamed of, for his age anyway. His belly was flat, and his arms, chest, and thighs were muscled and bronzed. His golden curls were impeccable, his features were pleasant, and his smile easy. Even his male appendage was well formed and of adequate size.

But it was the sight of his…his testicles she had a hard time stomaching.

Mia shuddered.

There was no way around it. His balls were old, ancient even. And they were so pale, saggy, wrinkled, and spotted that they reminded her of the one and only time she’d ever walked in on her mother and father. It had been a late evening when her parents had neglected to lock their bed chamber door. She still wasn’t sure who came away more traumatized from that incident, her or her father. But one thing was for certain, she wasn’t going to stare at High Mystic Purrell’s older-than-dirt scrotum ever again if there was any way to prevent it.