Read Online The Alchemists Academy Book 2: Elemental Explosions by Kailin Gow - Free Book Online
Authors: Kailin Gow
Ads: Link
were outside the headmaster’s study. He could just imagine things like that enjoying the sport of hyper-leap. Or at least, enjoying its fatal conclusion.
Ms. Lake looked grave. “I would urge you, should you get down to the final spot, to consider very carefully whether it is worth risking your life over. Whether it is worth hurting your friends over. It will only be used as a tie-breaker, but you need to think about what you might do.”
Ender Paine laughed. “They will do what everyone does, Vivaine. They will take their spot. And it will be worth it, won’t it?” he added, looking towards the fourteen who stood at the front. One by one, they nodded.
“And let us be clear about one other thing,” the headmaster added. “There is no place for failure at this school. You have seen these fourteen. They are the only third year students in this school. Just as the fourteen who are chosen from among you will be the only third years permitted next year. Those of you who cannot keep up will leave. You might find places at other schools, but there will be no place for you here. Consider that when you are thinking about whether it is worth it.”
Wirt found himself considering it. There would be no other school for him, he knew. He was only here because of the headmaster’s strange decision to offer him a scholarship. If he were thrown out of the academy, that would be it. He would be stranded here, with only those skills he already had to try and survive. He wouldn’t even have a home to go to. Faced with that, would he really be able to step back and let someone else take his place? Even Spencer? Even Alana?
And then there was Roland. The boy who just happened to have brought his father’s old quantum ball with him when they were reinstituting the tradition. He had known that this was going to happen, somehow. Wirt was certain of it. The only question was how.
Chapter 8
T he other second years were curiously quiet as they left the solarium. Thoughtful, perhaps. Considering exactly what Ender Paine’s announcement about the elite class might mean for them. A few would no doubt already know that their chances of making it through were poor. Would those get in contact with their parents to start making arrangements for moves to other schools? Or would they stay and hope that they were wrong?
A few more might be totally confident of their ability to get into the class. With grades playing a part, those who got the best grades in the year would surely think that they had a better chance than any of the others. Yet with grades forming only one part of it, could any of them really say that they were safe? One poor comment from a teacher, one failure in a special assignment, and even those getting the highest grades might be in trouble.
As for Wirt, he wasn’t sure where he stood. He wasn’t the best student in the school. Unlike Alana his glamour spells were weak and patchy, and he hadn’t taken any of the classes on advising royalty. If that was what the elite class was meant to be for, wouldn’t that be an advantage? Spencer, meanwhile, got far better all-round grades than Wirt did, and seemed to understand esoteric subjects like number magic without having to try.
On the other hand, Wirt wasn’t the worst student either, and the school had already invested a lot in him thanks to his natural talent for transportation magic. Ms. Burns had shown him that he had more than a few skills when it came to elemental magic too, and last year, he had been excellent when it came to Ms. Genovia’s transmutation spells. Though thinking about his time as a frog still made Wirt wince.
The only downside to all that was that the school had invested so much in him. Would Wirt be at a disadvantage as a
Ms. Lake looked grave. “I would urge you, should you get down to the final spot, to consider very carefully whether it is worth risking your life over. Whether it is worth hurting your friends over. It will only be used as a tie-breaker, but you need to think about what you might do.”
Ender Paine laughed. “They will do what everyone does, Vivaine. They will take their spot. And it will be worth it, won’t it?” he added, looking towards the fourteen who stood at the front. One by one, they nodded.
“And let us be clear about one other thing,” the headmaster added. “There is no place for failure at this school. You have seen these fourteen. They are the only third year students in this school. Just as the fourteen who are chosen from among you will be the only third years permitted next year. Those of you who cannot keep up will leave. You might find places at other schools, but there will be no place for you here. Consider that when you are thinking about whether it is worth it.”
Wirt found himself considering it. There would be no other school for him, he knew. He was only here because of the headmaster’s strange decision to offer him a scholarship. If he were thrown out of the academy, that would be it. He would be stranded here, with only those skills he already had to try and survive. He wouldn’t even have a home to go to. Faced with that, would he really be able to step back and let someone else take his place? Even Spencer? Even Alana?
And then there was Roland. The boy who just happened to have brought his father’s old quantum ball with him when they were reinstituting the tradition. He had known that this was going to happen, somehow. Wirt was certain of it. The only question was how.
Chapter 8
T he other second years were curiously quiet as they left the solarium. Thoughtful, perhaps. Considering exactly what Ender Paine’s announcement about the elite class might mean for them. A few would no doubt already know that their chances of making it through were poor. Would those get in contact with their parents to start making arrangements for moves to other schools? Or would they stay and hope that they were wrong?
A few more might be totally confident of their ability to get into the class. With grades playing a part, those who got the best grades in the year would surely think that they had a better chance than any of the others. Yet with grades forming only one part of it, could any of them really say that they were safe? One poor comment from a teacher, one failure in a special assignment, and even those getting the highest grades might be in trouble.
As for Wirt, he wasn’t sure where he stood. He wasn’t the best student in the school. Unlike Alana his glamour spells were weak and patchy, and he hadn’t taken any of the classes on advising royalty. If that was what the elite class was meant to be for, wouldn’t that be an advantage? Spencer, meanwhile, got far better all-round grades than Wirt did, and seemed to understand esoteric subjects like number magic without having to try.
On the other hand, Wirt wasn’t the worst student either, and the school had already invested a lot in him thanks to his natural talent for transportation magic. Ms. Burns had shown him that he had more than a few skills when it came to elemental magic too, and last year, he had been excellent when it came to Ms. Genovia’s transmutation spells. Though thinking about his time as a frog still made Wirt wince.
The only downside to all that was that the school had invested so much in him. Would Wirt be at a disadvantage as a
Similar Books
