Emotionless: (Prototype: Zero book 1)

by Shaina Anastasi

  “My Masters, I will cook a light snack for you before bed. You all have not eaten since we arrived,” Hopper called from the kitchenette.

  Opening the window, I leant out and noticed a ladder that leads up to the top roof of the tower. I reached for it, and my hands grabbed the smooth cold handle. Scrambling up, even knowing I am exhausted, I was persistent enough to get away from the loud noises of Nixon and Donte who evidently got the room across from me.

  Puffing cheeks, I jumped off and swung around and let my legs hit against the hard metal. I felt my leg throb already, and slowly placed it on the ladder and stood there for a moment until the pain subsided. Closing eyes for a second, I let the cold breeze chill uncovered skin and flail hair around my face. Taking a deep breath in, I moved up slowly until I reached the top roof. Grabbing the railing, I stepped up to see a bare flat surfaced roof with an enclosed pointed roof. There were no arguments, conversations or overlapped talking up here. It is utter silence.

  Looking around, I noticed a little small glow in the corner roof. I leant close to it, and there was a small red heart crystal with no magic that was resonating off it. Just the moon casting down made it sparkly. There were two names, and I blinked as I recognised Gospel, my grandfather's name along with one I don’t recognise. Chantelle. Touching it for a moment, I turned around to the other side of the tower. I moved to the arched window and looked down at the not so steep drop. Taking a glimpse at my boots, I lifted my legs, grabbed hold onto the windowsill and shuffled out so that my legs dangled downwards. There was a surface, probably fifty feet drop that lands onto another flat surfaced roof of Mage Academy.

  “Jump rune, activate,” I murmured.

  I noticed the slight glow underneath boots and knew they were active. Shuffling slightly forward, so that I was leaning almost downwards, I pushed off the rest of the way and felt my stomach lurch with the fall. The Wind billowed upwards, and it made my top fly up and hair swish around crazily. Lifting legs, bending them slightly, I raised hands to either side of my head.

  I was looking down when I felt another presence.

  It was as if a slow-motion crystal hit me in mid-air. I was falling when something on my right came into view. Strange golden eyes blinked into focus and watched intently at me as I fell. He was standing on the side roof and was looking downwards. His features covered in the light of the moon and cast ominously. As I fell, my eyes dragged upwards while theirs looked down. His white hair swayed in the wind, and his skin that was a pale white looked sickly in the moonlight. Looking away from his face, I cast a look at his thick slabbed boots and at the tint of blue that seeped out of the grooves. I opened my mouth and formed it into a shape of an O. Time began to speed up regularly after taking them in, and I flew down, completely forgetting the reason as to why I was dropping in the first place.

  A blurred ball shot to my side, and for a moment, I felt soft fur before they morphed human. Hopper had me in his arms. His ears were stiff, and the look on his face was something along the lines of distraught fear.

  “Mistress, Mage Academy isn’t that bad of a place to be for you to want to hurt yourself to get away.” His white-gloved hand touched my cheek. The look of seriousness marked his face. “Why? Why would you jump?”

  “Boots.” I averted eyes and kicked feet up. I showed him the blue glow underneath. “Wanted to see how high I can jump is all.”

  “You weren’t trying to commit suicide?”

  “No, but . . .” I trailed off and looked up to where the mage was standing. He is gone now. “I want those boots.”

  Chapter 6

  Eileen – rune wars.

  Opening the door to the bathroom, I let the steam linger out as I walked and rubbed a dry towel through my wet hair. Stepping past Donte who moved into the bathroom drowsily, I looked down the hallway to see Nixon already dressed. Day three of him not having a shower. He can go five days before Hopper finds out his refusal, strips him, and forces him to wash before he stinks the whole place up. Nixon not bathing means he is on strike and beside him just suffering, everyone has to suffer his stink.

  In the bedroom, the doors weren’t as advanced as the ones at home. The rune shuts it, but I have to lock it afterwards, so I don’t see the point of the door rune and will touch them up later. I assume the reason they aren’t advanced is that no one has stayed in here since the betrayal. What I figured out is that this is the Highborn quarters and there used to be many, however, considering almost all Highborn are deceased, there wasn’t any point in having so many chambers or rooms for us. So far, there are only six Highborns who go to this school. My family, the Head Mage and the stranger I saw last night with those boots that brimmed my interest. One of my goals is to find him and to look at the rune more closely. Today, though, I am going to see what the rune wars are.

  Rolling up my right pant leg, there was a yellow bruise that goes along my kneecap and down my leg. It was when I hit my leg on the railing when I jumped off. Last night it was a swollen blotchy purple and blue colour. The healing rune has helped a lot, and now I don’t feel as much pain or tenderness. The bruise is just an inconvenience I have to hide until it has healed. Isilies and Hopper would freak if they noticed the bruise. I would be on lockdown and not allowed to leave this place without an escort.

  I also figured out Hopper's instructions last night when he walked me back to the tower that we will be staying at for the duration of high school. He has had instructions to stay at Mage Academy to keep an eye on all of us. He admitted it because he was afraid and thought I was committing suicide. I am not that desperate to leave Sorcerer City yet, and if I were, I would only leave to work as a rune creator. I have no desire to be in the Organisation with Mum and Dad. They want us to exceed for that line of work. However, I don’t find risking my life appealing. I understand they do it because they don’t want another outbreak of a betrayal. That was the worst year for our kind. Going to many funerals, it would have been depressing. The friends that have grown on grandfather died right before his eyes, and there was nothing he could have done. The rumours spiralled around. They said he should have died with them or died proudly rather than running away. It must have drowned him further into depression.

  In the end, grandfather did run away. I just wish he could have explained the reason, or wrote me things he kept to himself. I was the closest to grandfather, from what I remember. I hovered around him whenever Hopper and Isilies had to chase Donte and Nixon. He left me in the dark just as much as everyone else has.

  Pulling down the sleeve of my pants, I stood up, brushed down the button up sleeved top and walked out. The home is in chaos. Packages and other boxes dumped in the living room early this morning that didn’t make it in a ‘timely matter’, Hopper called it as he looked onwards with disappointment.

  “My Mistress, there is a few hours before rune wars. You can look around the Academy if you want and meet us at the entrance at eight thirty. It will be quiet. Most of the Academy students will not be coming back until later tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Ok,” I responded on my way to the door.

  After the door closed by itself, I glimpsed at the rune on the opposite side of the tower octagon. It was still active and wavering magic. Blinking slowly, I turned to the stairs and walked down. I tugged the sleeve of my top nervously as I descended. There may not be many teenage mages here because of the holidays.

  At the bottom of the stone steps, I peeked around the corner and noticed the green and blue lights that bobbed up and down. There was nothing else.

  With a deep breath, I stepped out and looked around the hallway curiously and with fascination. There was a lot of artworks, dominant runes and crystals as well as sculptures. Armoured knights with nothing in them marched down the hallway, and I had to step aside and let them pass. The only sound made was the clattering armour that smacked against one another as they marched.

  I walked up a short flight of stairs that lead into a tall archway and a huge dining hall. Alon
g the back is a cafeteria section with rows and rows of steaming hot breakfast and assorted fruits. In the centre were rows of marble top tables and chairs. Some hovered in the air, and I noticed the ones that did have mages sitting on them while most of the ones that didn’t are placed around the dining hall randomly and with no order. Walking in, a table that hovered near the roof slammed down into an empty spot near me. I stepped back and tugged on the sleeve of my top nervously.

  Three teenage boys dressed in Academy navy blue jumpers with a green symbol on the left side that vibrated with magic crashed down from above. The M symbol means Mage magic. Mage Academy, naturally. The closest one to me in the seat leant his head back and had his elbows pressed on the table and grinned. Not Exactly sure what I’m supposed to do, I walked forward and towards the other side of the hall that has ‘Classrooms ages 13-16’ that was flashing blue and green lights.

  Ducking my head, I rounded the table when the one closest to me with reddish brown hair spoke.

  “So, they are letting more Highborn in,” he said with a smirk and his other two friends snickered. “And I thought that fire-breathing dragon was enough.”

  “At least this one is cute,” his friend pitched in, and they all laughed.

  “Why can’t they be homeschooled. They got enough money, being Highborn and all.”

  Taking in everything, I understood the reason as to why there was only one other Highborn in this school. Half-breeds are still angry with us because we’re better at magic than them. We were born to be perfect, and that is where I guess the envy comes from. I wouldn’t rub it in their faces. That would be inappropriate. The best thing to do is to keep walking as they talked.

  On the other side of the dining hall, I went up the stairs and picked up the pace when I was out of sight.

  “Headmaster,” I heard one of the teenage boys in the dining hall. His voice trembled as he spoke. At the steps, I wanted to peek around the corner to see who the Headmaster was but stood flat against the wall instead. “What are you doing in here, sir?”

  The dining hall is nearly empty. Their voices carried to where I was standing in the stairway as clearly as it would if I was standing right in front of them still.

  “Just passing through. Making sure my students weren’t doing or saying things they shouldn’t,” a soft almost young voice was heard. “Class starts in a couple days. I want no discrimination, or else.”

  “Yes, Sir!” They shouted.

  I heard the sound of shuffling feet and assumed the teenage boys were leaving. It was my cue to withdraw if they walked this way.

  On the second floor, I looked around at the large open hallway. Most of the doors were closed, but the ones that were open had two rows of seats that went down an aisle and separated them both. The end had the teacher’s desk in the middle, clean and with one large pot in the centre. On either side looked like little science test tubes that were hanging from the metal standing rack. Potions class, definitely.

  I have never been great at potions. That was mainly Donte and Nixon’s thing. They loved the fact of failure and to throw random things into a pot filled with water. It was bubbling water. The difference is that it has a rune engraved at the bottom of the pot to make the water somewhat unique. I am not too sure what the rune does, but I think it enhances magic so whatever I place in the pot or cauldron, it sticks.

  Walking away, at the end of the hall are stairs. The wall with the stairs that were going down reads: bathrooms, and upstairs spirals halfway that lead off into different directions. There weren’t any signs, so I don’t know which way I should be going. One was a hallway that was going in either direction as another set of stairs went down, and one was a small arched door that goes up. It was the darkest one of all.

  It twisted around at least twice until I stepped away from the stairs and into a tiny hallway with one door. It doesn’t seem well kept. With cobwebs in the corners and only one glowing green light bobbed near the wooden door with one of those graspable loop rings handles. The bricks were uneven. I noticed that when I kicked a brick that was lifted compared to the others. A tweak of a nose made me realise I hurt my ankle. Raising it slightly, I tried to step down, but a twinge of pain sparked. Against the wall, I placed my hand down to where it hurt.

  “Healing rune, activate,” I murmured.

  The blue glow beamed down and the pain sensation and throb diminished. Puffing cheeks, I instantly turned to the door and straightened up. I grabbed the handle, and it felt warm. As if it was touched not too long ago, maybe even a couple of minutes before I got up here. Another weird thing is the fact that this is an o-d-h door. There is no runes or power pulsing from it at all. I would have to push it for it to open. Stiffening joints in my arm, I pushed it inwards. The wooden door creaked, and I stepped in when a hand grabbed my shoulder. Looking back, Hopper was behind me, his gloved hand on my arm.

  “My Mistress, we’re leaving to go to Rune Wars now,” Hopper spoke with a smile.

  “Ok,” I responded and closed the door.

  At the entrance of the Academy, Donte, Nixon and Isilies were standing next to the crystal tower. To my astonishment, Nixon looked well dressed and bathed. He didn’t sound so pleased about the notion and pushed his brown hair backwards with irritation as we walked down the steps.

  Following the brick path, I heard the subtle murmur of voices. Not that overly joyed about it, we turned off of the corner of the maze of streets and into something that resembled familiar territory of a city in the o-d-h world. Somewhat. There were large groups of mages and Shapeshifters in their natural form that walked towards this one large entrance to this dome-shaped arena. Two sticks like mages, as tall as trees and as skinny as twigs on opposite sides of the door watched from a sky view of the mages that passed through.

  Getting pushed into the large crowd from behind, I ducked under someone’s outstretched arm as they called for one of the mages that were close by them. Now separated from my brothers, I moved forward with a bunny at my feet because there was nowhere for him to morph without discomfort. Bending down, I picked Hopper up in my arms, and his glowing red eyes glared at me. I shuffled forward with the large group that was going into the arena for the Rune Wars.

  The entrance looks so much bigger up close. With the arched edges covered in crystals and runes in an architectural pattern that is utterly mesmerising. Moving near the side, beside one of those stick mages, I tugged on Hopper's ear and kept my eyes forward. Through the arch open doorway with the crowd, I felt the tingling sensation of something that was running up and down my body, as if it was examining me as I stepped through. I looked up at the runes and crystals that gleamed down blue and green. I suspect that they’re gems and runes that frisk mages up and down to make sure that they’re not a threat.

  On the other side, I went through the large hall and then up the metal steel steps. The crowd dispersed in different directions. Setting Hopper down, he morphed back into a human. His white ears had twitched with irritation before they settled into the regular ears of a person.

  “My Mistress, did you have to pull my ear that hard?” he said with a twitch of the side of his head.

  “I want to sit at the front,” I said.

  “Alright my little Mistress.”

  I felt myself being picked up. It isn’t that uncommon. People consider me as a small child so seeing me in Hopper's arms don't cause unwanted attention as he stepped over the metal seats towards the front of the arena. Hopper is incredibly tall so most mages would have seen a lanky Shapeshifter that was taking long stride of steps to the perfect view of a large stage paved in cement. On either side of the arena is two large rune tables. They’re shaped like a circle and have a large rune designed on it. I cannot particularly see the rune correctly; however, it shined the brightest blue I have seen so far. On the side, facing the wall of the table is a round platform. It was big enough for what I would say a single mage to stand on.

  The groups of mages settled into seats and formed aro
und the stadium. I saw Isilies, Donte and Nixon a few seats up from us and to the left. They waved enthusiastically, so I turned around and pretended I didn’t see them.

  Sitting beside two older mages, they cast a leering look at me, and I looked down at my boots that kicked underneath me. In the corner of my eyes, Hopper had his back straight in perfect posture and peered out to the arena floor. It got silent, and that was when I looked up at a man dressed in a suit that flapped backwards came from the entrance of the arena gates. He held a staff in his hands and my eyes slightly widened at the sight of it. I have only seen Mum, Dads and Grandfathers staff up close and it was a rarity to see it. While theirs were simple, this man shined a brightened red in the sunlight, and the crystal was in the shape of a round, smooth orb and was the colour of sap seen on weeping trees. Couldn’t properly see the excellent rune work on the staff. I wonder if it is as textural and subtle as the staff itself.

  Mesmerised by the staff, I hadn’t realised he was talking until Hopper tapped my shoulder. Removing my eyes away from the staff, I dragged them up to the mage with a hovering megaphone that stuck to his mouth as he bellowed.

  “. . . Welcome you all to the Rune Wars!” he cried, and I was shoved to the side as the mage beside me shot up in his seat and clapped enthusiastically. “Now let me introduce the mages that are participating today. We have Fiona who is on a six-elimination winning streak.”

  He raised his arm to his right and a mage in something that would resemble a padded black vest, and army pants came running out and waved for the great camera recorders that floated to her side. Her golden blond locks swayed with her running, and her dark blue eyes scanned the crowd nonchalantly and glazed over everyone as she ran to the furthest rune table. Fiona stood behind the small circle stand area and stared straight ahead after that. She smoothed over her features into a sinister sneer of a wild animal.