Trials of Magic

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  Standing about twenty feet from the edge of the frozen pond, Aurie pulled out the wand and said, "I'm going to guess that this isn't even going to scratch you, big fella."

  The ice giant roared in response, sending a flurry of snow from its cavernous mouth.

  Aurie spied some objects at the edge of the pond. Sitting in the snow were a sword and shield. She picked them up and made a few tentative swings with the sword. She wasn't sure she could break an icicle, let alone an ice giant, while moving on a slippery surface, but after a few minutes, she didn't have any better ideas.

  With sword and shield in either hand, Aurie took mincing steps towards the ice giant. The creature waited until she was about halfway across before charging her. The ice giant was at least three times her size.

  It tried to smash her on the first pass. Aurie threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed. She got up just in time to block the second blow with the shield. The impact threw her back across the ice and slammed her into the icy ledge that went around the pond.

  Aurie spit out a little blood. Her lip was cut. She moved back up the hill before the ice giant could close the distance. She'd dropped the sword when it hit her. The giant picked it up like a toothpick and launched it into the woods behind the door.

  Then it went back to its original position, and seemed to dare her to try again.

  After a few minutes she came up with a plan. A stupid plan, but a plan nonetheless.

  As soon as she stepped back onto the ice, the giant moved to attack. She set the shield on the frozen pond, facedown, and sat inside the concave surface. She held the wand before her, watching the ice giant as it picked up speed. The ice shook with each step.

  "If this doesn't work, they're going to be scraping me off the ice with a Zamboni," she said.

  Aurie waited until the ice giant was almost upon her. It raised its massive hands into the air. When it brought its arms down to smash her, she rotated herself to face the short rock ledge that ringed the pond, stiffened her arms, and fired the force bolt.

  The reaction threw her backwards, beneath the giant's arms as it smashed the ice where she'd been only moments before. She flew across the frozen pond on her shield. The confused ice giant searched around its feet, trying to figure out where she'd gone.

  After impacting the snow on the other side, Aurie climbed to her feet and went through the third door, which led back into the entrance room.

  A triumphant gong signaled completion of the trial. Aurie nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but managed to gather enough energy to go back.

  Cautiously, she went through the door back into the main area. It was as before: the central space was filled with hundreds of initiates, and the tapestries announced the names of those summoned to the Proving Grounds. But as Aurie entered, her name flashed up on the tapestry with a score in the thousands. Then the scoreboard appeared and her name went at the very top, above the students who'd received the penalty. She was the first to finish.

  Chapter Twelve

  While Aurie went in search of her sister, the other initiates came up and congratulated her on the score. Aurie was confused about how they knew it was her, until she realized they were casting a simple identification spell on the H-shaped pin that she'd been given at registration.

  It was another twenty minutes before the next competitor came out of the red door. A short stocky kid stumbled out looking like he'd survived a piranha attack. His score was within hundreds of her score, and his name went second beneath hers.

  As time went on, more names appeared. Sometimes scores went on the tapestry without an initiate coming out of the door. Usually the score was much lower, in the hundreds, indicating they hadn't finished the Proving Grounds.

  A few hours after Aurie had finished, Pi strode out confidently, despite being in her bra and panties. Aurie cheered when she saw her sister's score at third place, then ran over to greet her.

  "I was so worried you were going to have trouble at the second challenge due to the eldritch runes," said Aurie, hugging her younger sister, partially because she was glad to see her, and to cover her up from the nearby stares.

  A few halfhearted catcalls echoed in the vast hall—as the originators probably remembered Professor Delight's warning from earlier.

  Pi pinched Aurie before returning the squeeze. "You never trust me to figure things out myself. I used a divining spell from materials I collected along the way."

  Aurie led her sister to the dormitorium while they waited for the first day of competition to finish. Tapestries hung on the dorm walls, so they could see if anyone bested them.

  As Aurie had been one of the first to arrive, she'd grabbed a corner bunk bed. The beds were enchanted for quiet, so they didn't have to bother with whispering. After Pi grabbed a shower, and her clothes were returned to her, they shared stories of their trial.

  Pi had circumvented the stone maze by flying onto the blocks, then moving across the top of them, avoiding the traps and distractions. Then she'd walked through the ghosts, because all but one were benign, and used the spell on the only apparition that could harm her. In the steam room, after divining what the runes said, she enlarged the chicken with the steam, then killed it with the force bolt when it crossed the plate. The last challenge took the longest since she was out of items. Eventually she tricked the ice giant by creating a girl out of snow and clothing it in her outfit. The ice giant hadn't been enchanted with enough brains to determine the difference between them, and she snuck by while it was pulverizing the snow-girl.

  By the end of the first day, Aurie remained at the top of the scoreboard and Pi had fallen down to fifth place. It was higher than either of them had dreamed. A third of the initiates hadn't met the minimum score and were dismissed. There were even a dozen or so that dismissed themselves, looking shaken by the trials. The only negative mark to the first day was that Violet Cardwell's name sat at number six.

  That night, Aurie slept like the dead, feeling confident about her chances.

  The next morning they assembled in the main room, and Professor Delight spoke to the group.

  "Congratulations on making it to the second day. The first day was a test of your individual skills. Many of you passed with flying colors. Others struggled even to survive."

  Unlike the previous day, Professor Delight had a serious cast to her expression, making Aurie wonder if someone had died the first day. Aurie reached out and squeezed her sister's hand.

  "In our complex world, it's not enough to be a great mage. There's only so much you can accomplish on your own. Our founder, Invictus, created the one hundred halls because there are one hundred ways to solve a problem, and some problems need the talents of more than one hall.

  "In this next challenge you will be paired with another initiate. Together, you will battle a third-year Hall member in a head-to-head match. You and your partner will receive items that will mimic at least two of the skills you will learn in the Hall you placed at the top of your list. The object of the match is to disable your opponent before they disable you. You will be judged by the way you use your chosen magics, but most importantly, the quality of your teamwork. Do not disappoint.

  "You will find your partner by your pin. Know that some great friendships and even marriages have begun because of this trial. Once I give the signal, a beam of light extending from the pin will point you in the right direction."

  Professor Delight paused, giving everyone a chance to absorb the information.

  Pi whispered under her breath, "Didn't Mom and Dad say they met in the trials? Do you think it was like this?"

  "I wouldn't be surprised," said Aurie.

  The heavyset professor raised her hand. After a brief gesture, a wave of light traveled outward, sparking the pins to life.

  The beam of light shooting from Aurie's chest went across the auditorium.

  "Bummer, sis. I was hoping we'd be partners," said Pi, then she set off in a different direction.

  The crow
d of initiates were laughing as they dodged around each other. Aurie was buoyed by the general mood. It felt like a treasure hunt. She hoped she got a good partner.

  Suddenly the crowd parted, and her beam of light hit the guy in the martial arts uniform right in the chest. She blushed, feeling heat rise all the way to the top of her head. His beam matched hers, hitting her right in the chest.

  He cocked a smile in her direction, raising an eyebrow as he rested his hands on his black belt. The grin was as much a dare as it was an invitation.

  Aurie was about to give him her best sassy look, the one she reserved for the cute, but cocky guys she always seemed to meet in every new school, when the beam of light veered off his chest.

  It only took one look at the blonde head of hair coming around him for her chest to turn to ice. When Violet Cardwell's gaze followed the beam of light to its destination, her lips squeezed white.

  The martial arts guy gave a what-do-you-do shrug and then moved off to find his partner. He winked as he left, but Aurie was too busy staring down Violet to notice. Neither girl moved.

  Eventually, Aurie realized that her desire to pass the trials was more important than petty revenge.

  She blew out a steadying breath and approached Violet, who had crossed her arms in a standoffish way.

  "You probably made this happen on purpose," said Violet, her tone so sharp she could cut glass.

  "Look. Neither of us is happy about this partnership, but if we want to pass the trials, we're going to have to work together," said Aurie.

  "You tried to kill me at the hospital," said Violet.

  Mention of killing and the hospital brought back a surge of anger at the thought of Emily's safety. Aurie put her hands behind her back and dug her fingernails into her palm so she wouldn't hit the blonde twit.

  "Let's just call it a misunderstanding," said Aurie. "And you got your revenge when you kept me off the gondola. I came this close to not making the trials, and it's my twentieth birthday in a week."

  The realization of what that prank had nearly caused seemed to soften Violet's expression. Not completely, but enough that Aurie thought they might be able to work together.

  "What's your chosen hall?" asked Aurie, hoping to get them thinking about strategy and tactics rather than animosity.

  "The Order of Honorable Alchemists," said Violet without a trace of irony about the honorable part.

  Aurie declined to point it out, and said, "Arcanium."

  "Arcanium?" asked Violet in disgust. "You're nothing but a bunch of book nerds."

  Aurie feigned a sneeze and looked around at the other pairs. Everyone seemed to be getting along quite well. She forced a smile to her lips.

  "I'm sure—"

  But her words ended when the tapestries flashed, and pairs of names started appearing, then circled around the room. On the first day, Aurie had wanted a later trial so she could rest. Today, she wanted the earliest match possible so she wouldn't have to make small talk with Violet while they waited.

  When new names stopped appearing, Aurie did her best to hide her disappointment behind a polite smile. Violet declined that grace, instead letting out a jet of disgusted air and rolling her eyes.

  "We can use the time to talk strategy," said Aurie.

  "There's nothing to talk about until we get our hall items and find out our opponent," she said.

  Aurie opened her mouth to refute that idea, but Violet had already pulled out her smartphone and was talking within seconds of it reaching her ear. She put her back to Aurie and started complaining about the pairing immediately.

  Aurie stuck her tongue out at Violet's back, before glancing around to see who her sister had for a partner. Pi stood next to a lanky guy with a shock of red hair. Neither of them knew what to do with their hands while they were talking to each other. Other pairs were busily discussing their strengths and weaknesses, even going so far as to draw invisible maps on the floor with their fingers.

  The afternoon crawled to a near stop while Aurie waited for the second trial. Pairs of initiates went through the red door, and higher scores filled the tapestries, knocking both Aurie and Violet off the leaderboard. Unlike the first day, no one came back out. When Pi went in, Aurie gave her a parting cheer. Ten minutes later, her name went to the top of the tapestry.

  It wasn't until the end of the day that they were called. The auditorium was mostly empty, with a few dozen pairs milling about the space, talk of strategy long since overtaken by boredom. Pi's name had fallen to fifth place, but it put her sister into a good position to claim the hall of her choice at the end of the trials.

  Violet put the phone away right as they reached the red door. A blue-robed attendant handed them their hall items. Violet was given two vials containing fizzy silver and green liquids, respectively.

  When the attendant handed Aurie a quill, and nothing else, she was confused.

  "Shouldn't I get a second item?" asked Aurie.

  The attendant looked around nervously. "That's all there was," he said. "Read the tag to find out what they do."

  Violet read hers out loud: "Super speed and dragon skin. Awesome. What's yours? A red pen for marking up grammar?"

  "Truth," said Aurie, flipping the tag back and forth to find additional information, but only the one word was written on the tag. Violet's tags had a line or two of description, despite the names making it obvious what they did.

  "What does that do?" asked Violet, looking over Aurie's shoulder.

  "I...I know what Truth does. It's one of the most powerful magics if you know how to use it, but I don't understand how this quill is supposed to work." Aurie glanced up to see the confusion on Violet's face. "Truth is kind of like making things stronger. Imagine walking across a beam four inches above the floor. Easy, right? Now imagine walking across that beam four hundred feet above the floor."

  "That makes no sense. You sound like one of those self-improvement videos," said Violet.

  The conversation was cut short when the attendant ushered them into the next room. The battle arena was a hundred-by-hundred-meter room with dozens of obstacles spread about the floor. The obstacles looked like a giant box of kid's blocks had been dumped into the room. Before the attendant left he explained that their opponent was from the Protector's Hall.

  A deep voice from somewhere in the arena called out, "Come and get me, girls."

  The urge to head into the center of the arena made Aurie take a step forward. She shook off the enchantment. Violet looked like she was recovering as well.

  "Why couldn't we have been paired against a different hall?" said Violet. "Like those theater freaks. You know what the Protectors can do, right?"

  "Voice of Command," said Aurie. "He can freeze you in place, but it only works from up close. So we'd better keep our distance."

  Violet's forehead knotted with thought, prompting Aurie to wonder if she knew anything about the other halls. Just in case, Aurie added, "That voice thing works better on crowds. As long as we stay apart, it won't be effective. Otherwise, protectors are just bullies. Good with their fists and hell on intimidation."

  "I knew that," said Violet. "And I know just the plan. Since you're completely useless, I'll drink my potions, we'll move on him together, and I'll take him out in hand-to-hand combat. The dragon skin will keep him from hurting me."

  "Didn't you hear me? We can't take him up close. That's where they get their power. They're trained to take down bad guys, or pacify large crowds. We have to split up, and stay away, and look for a way to take him down," said Aurie.

  "And what does your quill have to offer?" asked Violet.

  "I don't know," said Aurie, a little too forcefully. "The damn tag was missing. But I'll figure something out."

  "Well, I heard your plan, but I disagree. You should come with me. Protect my back. At the very least, he won't know who to defend against. A few hits with super speed and he'll be laid out," she said.

  Before Aurie could argue, Violet chugged her potions,
one after the other. The thick green potion turned her skin to dark green scales. Aurie thought she looked like a human lizard and expected a split tongue to snake out of her mouth. The second potion seemed to make her vibrate like a struck tuning fork.

  Violet motioned at triple speed. "Follow me."

  "Wait," said Aurie, not wanting to get caught by the Protector's mez or get up close.

  Violet sped away, quickly disappearing behind a large block with an arch cut out the middle.

  "Shit," said Aurie, and loped off after her.

  A few seconds later, Violet screamed. The deep voice of the third-year Protector saying "Don't move" quickly followed.

  "Double shit," said Aurie, and stared at her quill. "What the hell am I supposed to do with you?"

  His voice carried over the blocks. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I got your friend over here. If you give yourself up quickly, I won't bruise your face too bad."

  Aurie knew better than to answer. He was trying to figure out where she was located.

  Aurie snuck through the blocks, keeping a roving eye. Eventually, she came to a center area. She could see Violet on her knees, face wracked with effort, trying to break through the enchantment, but not the protector.

  When she didn't see him, Aurie decided that he'd gone looking for her. She ran into the center to free Violet. Aurie started probing her with faez, trying to understand the magical compulsion, when Violet's eyes shifted to the right.

  It was enough warning. Aurie dove out of the way just as a fist flew past her head. She broke into a sprint, dodging around the blocks until she reached the outer edge of the arena.

  Breath heaving in her chest, Aurie looked around. Her opponent hadn't followed her because he needed to stay near to keep the enchantment. She felt like an idiot for not remembering that before, especially after mentally admonishing Violet for the same thing.

  Aurie pulled out the quill. The obvious thing was to draw or write something. But what? Truth magic, or verumancy, used the energy of what was already there.