Chapter 4

Adreanna

Dread fills me as Aila and I step into the circle behind the royals. Each ring we cross shoots a tingling up through the soles of my feet, and adrenaline rushing through my body.

“You ok, Na?” Aila asks as we take our places.

I nod stiffly, refusing to cower, but inside, I’m shaking.

Something isn’t right… The thought skitters through my mind as I glance around. Aila’s frowning beside me, as if she, too, senses something amiss.

“You alright, Ai?”

She hesitates a moment before nodding and giving me a shaky smile.

“Think I’m just nervous… we are stuck in here with the four supposedly most powerful people of our generation…”

“Yea,” I say, blowing out a breath and facing the line of elders.

Once we all have our attention on them, the elders begin to chant. As their voices rise and fall in sync, visible wards shoot up from each of the ritual rings, and the feeling of unease inside of me increases.

“That… isn’t how it looked with the other groups, is it?” I ask Aila in a shaky voice.

She shakes her head vehemently. I want to look at her, but find myself suddenly unable to move. Aila grunts from beside me, and from the corner of my eye, I can see that she too, seems to be locked in place. From the other side of her, I hear the growl of one of the princes.

I try to open my mouth and ask if anyone else is freaked out, by my jaw is locked. A startled moan escapes my throat at the realization that we’re sitting ducks. And then, as I watch, the elders slam their fists into the ground, and a glowing energy races out from them to enter the pentagram and triquetra. The symbols on the ground begin to glow with a myriad of colors running through the spectrum. Aila squeaks from beside me as the energy rushes towards us.

It feels like I’ve been hit by a truck as the energy collides with me. After a beat or two, my body lifts into the air, arching back as pain rushes through me. Finally, my jaw unlocks, allowing me to voice my agony. The sound of Aila whimpering beside me has me forcing my neck to turn, the effort exhausting me and increasing the pain.

“Aila…” I whimper, reaching my fingers out as far as I can, which doesn’t feel far enough.

She’s curled into a ball, blood flowing down her face and silver flames surrounding her. Energy is cracking from her, reminding me of flames or lighting. Her skin seems to be splitting, and I can tell from her face that she’s experiencing an agony similar to mine, but still, she manages to force her eyes open to look at me.

She reaches out stiffly, grasping at my fingers. Inch by inch, she moves her hand closer, until finally, the tips of our fingers connect. As the energy radiating off of each of us collides, we scream in unison before falling suddenly out of the air, a shock wave of energy racing out from us.

The pain recedes just as fast as it came, and I take Aila’s full hand into my own, whispering to her.

“Are you ok, Ai?”

“Yea… you?”

I blow out an unsteady breath, taking stock of my body before responding.

“Yea, I think so…”

Murmuring from the crowd has me looking up, glancing around in horror. All of the emergency mages who are on standby to erect a protective ward around the audience are flat on their backs, begin checked over by healers. The elders are helping one another up, glancing furtively at us. I look towards the others in our group to find the hateful glares of the consorts, and the distrusting looks of the princes.

“What the hell just happened, Ai?”

She groans and shakes her head, helping me to my feet.

“I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure we can kiss our plans to help at The Shoppe goodbye…”

“Yea, no shit… that was… intense.”

“Definitely… look, the elders are coming… they didn’t talk to any of the other groups, did they?”

“No… maybe they’re going to the princes?”

“No, they’re definitely coming straight for us.”

“Shit.”

“Yea.”

The voice of a kindly looking old man clearing his throat has us falling silent. His eyes twinkle mirthfully as he inspects us.

“Well, that was quite the show, ladies,” he says with a gravelly voice.

We stand still, waiting for him to continue while clutching each other’s hand.

“I’m sure you realize that you won’t be able to control powers that strong without proper guidance…”

Aila and I glance at each other before looking back towards the elder and nodding.

“I’m glad you understand… You’ll have to attend the Spellbound Academy of Exemplary Magicks… I wish I could say that it will be easy, but I can guarantee that you’ll have a lot stacked against you… And you won’t be able to leave this building without an armed escort, and dampening cuffs… you’re not in trouble, of course, it’s just a safety precaution until you can harness and direct your abilities without harming others.”

“Of course, sir… will we be able to get our things? Speak with our mothers?” I ask.

“No and yes. I’ll have to send others to retrieve your belongings, but if you make a list once in the dampening room, that can be arranged… as for your mothers, you can spend some time with them in the dampening room prior to leaving for the academy… I can allow you a few hours… perhaps arrange a lunch to be delivered, if that suits you?”

“Please… sir… uhm… do you know what happened?” asks Aila.

“I have an idea, but can’t say for certain. I’ll keep in touch with you once we know more.”

“Thank you…” Aila and I bow unsteadily before turning and following a mage to these infamous dampening rooms.

“Do you think we’ll have to wait with the royals?” asks Aila, exhaustion filling her voice.

“Nah, pretty sure the royals will have their own special space… they were expecting them to be powerful, after all…”

“Yea, I guess…”

We walk in silence, sinking down onto a plush couch once inside the metal room.

“I’ll arrange to have your mothers and lunch brought in,” says the kindly mage who brought us hear.

I shoot him a grateful smile before nodding. Once he closes the door, I gather Aila into my arms, holding tightly to her.

“I was so scared, Ai.”

“Me too, Na. Me too…”

She sniffles before pulling back, the sight of dried blood on her face turning my stomach.

“What’s wrong, Na?”

“You were bleeding so much, Ai…”

“You too,” she says, pointing towards my legs, which are caked with dried blood.

“At least we’ll be going to this academy together…” I whisper softly.

“Together.”