the ground. “This has been our way of life for
thousands of years and one little brat from the human
realm isn’t going to put a stop to it!”
“You can bet your life that I will,” I said, and then
lashed out.
My magic hit her before she had a chance to block it.
She fell back, onto the practice mat. Our class gave us a
wide berth, and I could hear Dena trying to break it up.
“Come on, guys, this isn’t good.”
We both ignored her. Eleanora staggered to her feet, a
snarl marring her perfect features.
From the core.
I hit her with everything I had and she went down
again.
“And now you think you’re oh so powerful because
you’ve learnt that one move,” she snarled as she climbed
to her feet again. I bounced on the balls of my feet, ready
for whatever she had to throw at me. “I’ve been training
ever since I was five years old to come to the Academy!”
“Good on you,” I replied, watching her carefully. “I
haven’t trained at all.”
Something lashed through the air. I saw something that
looked like a whip made of violet fire just before it lashed
me across the face.
Pain, white hot pain burnt across my skin from where
the whip had touched me. I fell to the ground, blinded.
Eleanora was still yelling, but I couldn’t hear her properly
through the ringing in my ears.
Hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me back upright. I
struggled, thinking it was Eleanora, but then they spoke
into my ear.
“I’ve got you.”
Phoenix’s low voice made me freeze. That was three
more words he’d spoken to me now.
“Can you open your eyes?” There was no mistaking the
concern in his voice.
I cracked open one eye experimentally, but the other
refused to open, already swelling. I could see that Eleanora
had been restrained by three other mages, and Theresa
and Yasmin were standing between us.
“Ow,” I winced as pain shot across my head.
“Sky!” Dena was at my side, supporting me. I felt
Phoenix take a step back.
“What is this?” I groaned as Iain strode across the
practice mat. “Who is responsible?”
I raised my hand cautiously. Eleanora did nothing for a
moment but then did the same.
“Detention this evening. Both of you!” he snapped
furiously. “We do not tolerate any kind of misbehaviour in
these walls.”
He left as quickly as he’d arrived. I felt something run
down my face, and when I lifted my fingers to touch my
skin, they came away red with my blood.
“You need to go to the infirmary,” Dena was saying.
“You need to be treated.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll just head upstairs and wash off.”
I shrugged her and Rain off, and then grabbed my
satchel and left the hallway. I passed Phoenix on the way
out, but he made no move to talk to me.
Up in my room, I’d just started dabbing at my face
gingerly with a cloth when Larni entered. She gasped and
promptly dropped the stack of clean linen she’d been
carrying.
“Miss, are you alright? Why are you bleeding?”
“A disagreement with a local mage,” I gasped with pain
as the cloth brushed the open wound. Strong, cool fingers
took the cloth from me and Larni took over cleaning the
wound.
“Sit,” she commanded, and I sat at the table. She
dragged the other chair around close to me and began
cleaning. “What was this about?”
I fixed her with my one good eye.
“Your wages.”
The cloth stilled immediately.
“Please don’t make a fuss about me, miss.”
“Don’t call me miss,” I said, screwing up my face against
the pain. “Call me Sky.”
“Unscrunch your face,” she told me, and I did so. “Ok
then... Sky. Please don’t make a fuss over the other
servants and me. We’re perfectly happy as we are.”
“Are you really?” I asked her.
She dabbed the cloth in the water jug sitting on my
table.
“We are non-magi. We don’t get a say.”
My stomach clenched as nausea rolled through, but
whether it was from the pain or not, I couldn’t tell.
“Please let me help you, Larni.”
She didn’t reply
thousands of years and one little brat from the human
realm isn’t going to put a stop to it!”
“You can bet your life that I will,” I said, and then
lashed out.
My magic hit her before she had a chance to block it.
She fell back, onto the practice mat. Our class gave us a
wide berth, and I could hear Dena trying to break it up.
“Come on, guys, this isn’t good.”
We both ignored her. Eleanora staggered to her feet, a
snarl marring her perfect features.
From the core.
I hit her with everything I had and she went down
again.
“And now you think you’re oh so powerful because
you’ve learnt that one move,” she snarled as she climbed
to her feet again. I bounced on the balls of my feet, ready
for whatever she had to throw at me. “I’ve been training
ever since I was five years old to come to the Academy!”
“Good on you,” I replied, watching her carefully. “I
haven’t trained at all.”
Something lashed through the air. I saw something that
looked like a whip made of violet fire just before it lashed
me across the face.
Pain, white hot pain burnt across my skin from where
the whip had touched me. I fell to the ground, blinded.
Eleanora was still yelling, but I couldn’t hear her properly
through the ringing in my ears.
Hands gripped my shoulders, pulling me back upright. I
struggled, thinking it was Eleanora, but then they spoke
into my ear.
“I’ve got you.”
Phoenix’s low voice made me freeze. That was three
more words he’d spoken to me now.
“Can you open your eyes?” There was no mistaking the
concern in his voice.
I cracked open one eye experimentally, but the other
refused to open, already swelling. I could see that Eleanora
had been restrained by three other mages, and Theresa
and Yasmin were standing between us.
“Ow,” I winced as pain shot across my head.
“Sky!” Dena was at my side, supporting me. I felt
Phoenix take a step back.
“What is this?” I groaned as Iain strode across the
practice mat. “Who is responsible?”
I raised my hand cautiously. Eleanora did nothing for a
moment but then did the same.
“Detention this evening. Both of you!” he snapped
furiously. “We do not tolerate any kind of misbehaviour in
these walls.”
He left as quickly as he’d arrived. I felt something run
down my face, and when I lifted my fingers to touch my
skin, they came away red with my blood.
“You need to go to the infirmary,” Dena was saying.
“You need to be treated.”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll just head upstairs and wash off.”
I shrugged her and Rain off, and then grabbed my
satchel and left the hallway. I passed Phoenix on the way
out, but he made no move to talk to me.
Up in my room, I’d just started dabbing at my face
gingerly with a cloth when Larni entered. She gasped and
promptly dropped the stack of clean linen she’d been
carrying.
“Miss, are you alright? Why are you bleeding?”
“A disagreement with a local mage,” I gasped with pain
as the cloth brushed the open wound. Strong, cool fingers
took the cloth from me and Larni took over cleaning the
wound.
“Sit,” she commanded, and I sat at the table. She
dragged the other chair around close to me and began
cleaning. “What was this about?”
I fixed her with my one good eye.
“Your wages.”
The cloth stilled immediately.
“Please don’t make a fuss about me, miss.”
“Don’t call me miss,” I said, screwing up my face against
the pain. “Call me Sky.”
“Unscrunch your face,” she told me, and I did so. “Ok
then... Sky. Please don’t make a fuss over the other
servants and me. We’re perfectly happy as we are.”
“Are you really?” I asked her.
She dabbed the cloth in the water jug sitting on my
table.
“We are non-magi. We don’t get a say.”
My stomach clenched as nausea rolled through, but
whether it was from the pain or not, I couldn’t tell.
“Please let me help you, Larni.”
She didn’t reply
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