by Ben Hale
There was a flurry as everyone donned their glasses. Since hers were already on, Tess searched the symbols at the side of her vision. It didn't take her long to find her class screen, and see the tiny pencil on paper symbol. She stared at it, and it brightened. Blossoming into shape, it moved to the side and appeared to float a few feet away, far enough in her peripheral that it didn't distract from focusing on the professor.
After helping those less familiar with the spectacles, the Professor returned to the front. "Now, to some basics." (Out of the corner of her eye Tess saw the pencil begin to write on the translucent paper.) "Since you are all auren born or raised, the first thing you should know is that this academy is not like a normal high school or college. Students are allowed to progress—or digress—according to their own merit.
"At the middle and end of every quad you will be tested. If you can demonstrate an advanced level of understanding—and skill—then you will be elevated to a higher level course. Conversely, if you cannot display a working knowledge of the course you are in, you will be placed in a lower level class. Being dropped from the lowest is known as 'bombing,' and means you will have to wait until the next quad to repeat. You—and you alone—are responsible for your rise . . . or fall, here at Tryton’s."
His gaze swept the room, and again the students shifted. On impulse, Tess raised her hand. The professor seemed surprised, but acquiesced with a nod.
"Can one advance enough to jump years?"
Professor Seibold's lips twitched like he wanted to smile, but he held it in check. "Of course, Miss Oliver. Proficiency is the only requirement to continue."
She jerked as he called her name, but then realized that his glasses probably showed a great deal more than hers did. The professor then smiled.
"Those more diligent will progress much faster than their peers. I have even seen someone finish four years in one, and he is now the youngest member to hold a place on the high council."
"It must be Chancellor Gerik," someone nearby whispered.
The professor moved on from the interruption, and began to tell about the three parts of magic. Just as Hawk had explained, he described sight, force, and control, but went into greater detail on each. On more than one occasion he referred to the midterm exam. Each time Tess checked to see if her note taker was doing its job.
Professor Seibold then went on to explain the circle of magic, and erected an energy display showing the twelve types of magic. Last he explained the unknowable magics. Anti-magic, lightning, and memory were the three magics that did not fit into the common fields, and comprised the thirteenth and final school at Tryton’s.
Throughout it all Tess paid close attention, excited to finally understand more about the world she had entered. By the end she was actually looking forward to reading the assigned course material. Professor Seibold dismissed them with an assignment to write a three-page essay detailing all the mage schools and their purposes. Her excitement tempered by the homework, Tess exited to find Iris standing in the hall.
"Done with Remedial?" she asked. "Good, I just finished Basics of Earth Study. Did you know that they are still making clothing by hand?"
Iris seemed so appalled that Tess laughed. "What do you have next?"
"Mage Tech level 3. You want to go together? If you've got fire we should be in neighboring buildings—or if you have gravity we'll be in the same one."
Without waiting for a response Iris burst out laughing and told someone named Adela that she shouldn't tell such stories. Then her eyes reconnected with Tess's. "You said yes, right? Good, let's go."
Tess walked with Iris, grateful that she had a friend, of sorts. She activated her glasses only long enough to see that she was headed for the Mind School. When she shared this with Iris her roommate nearly jumped out of her skin.
"That means three times a week we can walk to class together. You know that classes are on alternating days right? So one week we will walk together three days—and the next it will be two. What am I saying, of course you know that."
Iris's excitement was contagions, so by the time Tess arrived at the mind building she was grinning. This close she was able to see that the statues were not actually holding the building aloft. Instead, purple light poured from their hands and fed the magical foundation. Strands of faint purple light filled the gap that separated the base of the school with the ground, and apparently was the sole support to the structure. Extending out from it, the magic formed stairs of solid purple light.
They separated at the top of the stairs and Tess activated her compass. Following it to the rear of the building, she went to the designated room and found a seat. The classroom quickly filled with people talking in hushed, excited tones. Tess felt the anticipation begin to build, her heart pounding as she waited for the professor.
A moment later he flew through the open window.
Chapter 10: The Captain
He flew into a forward flip and came out of it walking on the floor. Silence resounded in the room, and then applause burst out. Tess joined in. It was the first time she had seen someone fly up close, and it sparked a yearning to do the same.
"Welcome to Gravity Magic Level 1. My name is Drake," he said, "and I will be assisting Professor Lerik in teaching this course."
As Drake spoke his lips pulled into a confident grin. Tall and lean, he wore snug slacks, a button-up shirt that clung to his torso, and a cloak. Dark gauntlets covered his forearms and extended over his hands, leaving his fingers free. His jet-black hair was cut short and stylish. At odds with the color of his hair, his eyes were a startling blue, like a summer sky without a hint of a storm. His features were angular and sharp, enhancing the darker tone to his skin.
Tess overheard a girl beside her whisper that he was the captain of the Tempest team. The girl practically swooned as she expressed her wishes regarding him. Tess felt a flash of irritation at her comment. There was no denying he was attractive—and tall—and dark— and attractive—but she doubted he deserved such adulation.
Drake shushed the applause with an indulgent wave. "I am sure you are all excited to begin your initial testing, so I won't waste time talking about the wonders of flight."
A girl in the front row raised her hand, and he nodded to her.
"Will you tell us about Tempest, Captain?" she asked. Her tone was breathless, as if she were already hanging on the words he had yet to speak.
"Perhaps later in the course. We should get going . . ."
A smattering of protests erupted from the girls in the room. Tess folded her arms at the noise, fighting to quell her rising interest. And why did her neck feel so warm?
He pursed his lips, but not in annoyance. The tension built until he relented with a sigh. "I will share one thing today. Then we get started."
A smattering of giggles and sighs filled the room, accompanied by the veiled scowls from the males. Ignoring them, Drake swept his hands wide. "Can anyone tell me the purpose of the gauntlets I wear?"
The gauntlets were fashioned of a supple, black material. Faint red lines crisscrossed their surface like subtle lightning. Tess would have thought they were just for show, but nearly every girl's hand shot into the air at the question. Drake called on a girl from the second row.
"As a class two flyer, fire increases your mobility and gives you attack power in the game. The gauntlets are also easier to attach flame spells to."
The girl rattled the answer off like a baseball statistic, and the girls around her glared at her success.
Drake smiled at the answer. "Correct. Are you a fire mage?"
She nodded, a trace of smugness on her features. The other girls glared at her. Tess suppressed the urge to raise her hand and announce that she too was a fire mage.
"Perhaps you will fly with me sometime," Drake said, eliciting another round of sighs. Then he turned to the whole class. "As the fire mages will learn, heat works best when there is something to attach it to. It is possible to craft gauntlets out of pure flame o
n your bare skin, but it takes an extremely talented mage to do so."
"Which you aren't," a boy close to Tess muttered. Drake went on as if he hadn't heard it.
"Mine allow me to summon flame and gather it here with much less focus. It is one of the best assets for a player—that's legal anyway." Fire blossomed across his gauntlets as he demonstrated. Collecting onto the black material, the fire curled and sparked with controlled power.
"Why does he wear them outside of the game?" a boy whispered to another.
"Because he likes the attention," the second replied, causing the first to snicker. Unfortunately the reply was a fraction too loud.
Drake's eyes zeroed in on him as the flames evaporated on his arms. The boy shifted in his seat. Tess blinked as she realized he was the same boy from the train, the one that said he was going to be a flyer. Marcus, was it?
Drake gave a tiny shake of his head at the boy, but the glint of danger in his eyes was more like a threat. It was enough of a warning that Marcus swallowed and nodded. Tess was impressed at the interplay. A single look had elicited an unspoken apology.
Without a word Drake turned and strode briskly to the only decoration in the room. Ten stands stood against the wall, with descending sizes of stones resting on each of them. The biggest looked like a boulder next to the others.
Coming to a halt next to the largest, Drake began, "Before you can learn to fly, you must first learn gravity magic. It involves two steps, seeing the power that binds something to the earth, and bending it to your will. When done properly, the lines of gravity will warp around an object—such as one of these stones, and it will rise into the air.
"The more advanced you become, the more you will be able to redirect gravity in any direction, essentially pulling an object—or yourself—where you want. Now, how many of you have already had a class with a practicum?" About half the students raised their hands. "Excellent. For those who haven't yet, let me explain about your magesight.
"Magesight is what allows you to see the energy within an object. Fire mages, such as me, can see the energy within heat. Water mages can see the energy inherent in water, and so on. Anything that you are not skilled in will appear in shades of gray. Purple is the color of mind energy, which includes technology and gravity. The more you practice, the brighter the color will become, until you are able to see the power of the earth under your feet."
Again the muffled giggles and swallows filled the room, causing Drake to smile.
"Now," he continued, "Today we will start with a testing to see where you are, but don't worry. I've seen students go from the smallest weight," he gestured to the pebble on the end, "to the largest in a single quad. Others start half way and take a year to lift the two-hundred pound weight."
He laughed and slapped the stone that stood next to him. It rose into the air at his touch. Then it began to spin lazily around his body. Drake continued as if he didn't notice the huge rock floating around him—or the gasps from the stunned students.
"To pass this course you must raise this stone, and as I said, it can take a while. Once we establish your skill level, then I can begin teaching you how to improve your ability. I know Professor Lerik prefers to have you review the theory extensively before you try to apply it. She also lets you start with the one-pound weight before attempting anything larger. I, however, like a more . . . aggressive approach."
"How do we know that is really two hundred pounds?" Marcus's friend demanded, jutting his chin out.
Drake smiled and he reached toward a low shelf against the back wall. A plate soared out and performed a few flips before coming to rest on the floor. The massive stone stopped its movement as he rested his palm on its top. He swung his arm so the rock floated above the plate.
"At your exam, you will have to hold a plate in the air at the same time as a stone. If the plate falls or gets broken, you fail."
A hush fell on the students, but Drake's eyes never left the pudgier boy as the tension built. Then Drake released the stone. It plummeted to the floor and the plate shattered. Even though it was expected, many of the students flinched at the sound.
"Satisfied?" Drake asked. His tone was mild, but it seemed to Tess that he was annoyed.
The boy nodded reluctantly, and Drake turned to the class. "Gravity magic requires discipline, and speaking out of turn demonstrates a lack thereof. As such, I believe our friend here would like to be the first to display his ability."
With a flick of his wrist Drake sent the heavy stone to its pedestal. It settled onto the stand like it was resting on a pillow. Then he gestured to the boy. "Start at the largest, and work your way to the smallest. Let's see where you stand."
The boy glared at Drake, but stood up without responding. He approached the line of stones and stopped in front of the heaviest. His fist clenched as he strained to lift it with his magic. Ten seconds passed, and then twenty. Finally Drake sighed.
"You may proceed to the hundred and fifty." Then he gestured to the student closest to the stones. "You on the end may start on the two hundred."
A thin girl stood and hesitantly approached the large one. As the boy's face next to her turned purple with the effort, she tried to mentally lift the rock in front of her. After a few seconds Drake called for them to rotate.
As the next in line started, Drake said, "While you wait, the rest of you should practice your magesight. Try blinking in and out of it. This is especially important for those that are auren-raised. Many master level mages can use their magic without using their magesight at all. The ability of dropping in and out of your sight is the key to accomplishing that."
It seemed that Drake's gaze lingered on Tess, but it didn't remain long enough for her to be certain. She felt a flush warm her cheeks anyway. Why did he have to be so good-looking?
She attempted to focus as he'd suggested, but her gaze kept returning to Drake's features. She didn't manage to activate her sight successfully until he donned a pair of sleek glasses. With a grunt of irritation, Tess counted the students before her, and saw that she would go third from last. Forcing herself to take advantage of the time, she did as Drake had suggested and relaxed.
It took several tries to activate her mage sight. She checked to see if Drake noticed when she did, and then bit her lip at the impulse. The changes in emotion caused her sight to fade into normal vision. With a sigh she tried again.
Just as before, the world became awash in different colors. People, walls, and the air itself were manifest in varying shades of weak hues. She recalled what Drake had said about the colors brightening with practice, and she noticed that red was more vibrant than the others.
She was distracted at the bellow of triumph. Blinking back to normal vision, she saw that the thin girl had succeeded in lifting the five-pound stone. Wobbling a few inches above the pedestal, it nevertheless floated in the air. Drake praised her effort and told her she could return to her seat. The larger boy scowled at her and tried again with the three-pound in front of him, succeeding in lifting it a scant inch before it dropped.
Drake's eyes flitted in a few directions, and Tess guessed that he was recording their results with his glasses. Then she realized she was running out of time, and forced her mounting nervousness aside. Taking a deep breath, she slipped into her sight. Now that she knew what to look for, it didn't take her long to find the purple lines.
To her surprise she found thousands of purple threads stretching in every direction. At first she thought they were all gravity, but upon further inspection she realized that the vertical lines were a darker shade than the angled and horizontal ones. With a start she realized the others must be what a techno mage could see. The lines congregated around the omni-glasses that Drake and the students wore . . .
"Tess?" she heard a voice.
She jerked, and swiveled to see Drake's penetrating blue eyes on her.
"It's your turn," he said.
He smiled at her, leaving her further disconcerted. She swallowed at the
sudden knot in her throat and stood. Striding to the largest stone, she fought to calm her heart. It's just a test, she said to herself. And no one knows who you are. She faced the two hundred pound stone and took a breath to steady herself. Then she blinked into her sight.
She was pleased that the magesight came easier than it had before. The difference was minimal, but perceptible enough to bolster her confidence. It didn't take her long to find the dark purple lines that threaded their way through the rock. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she sought to bend them. At first they seemed like bands of iron, and rebuffed her effort.
She growled under her breath, and pushed harder. To her immense satisfaction, they responded. Inch by inch they pulled away from the stone's center, and separated to wrap around its exterior. The measure of success spurred her to greater exertion, and the gravity flowed away like water. As the last band reached the exterior, she felt a rush of triumph . . .
—The heavy stone rocketed upward and exploded through the ceiling. A moment later it crashed through the ceiling of the room above, and then another. Chunks of debris rained down as the nearby students dived for cover. Tess was too stunned to move, but in an instant Drake was by her side.
Extending a hand toward the hole he stopped the upward momentum of the stone. "I need to bring it down, Tess," he said, his voice distorted with exertion. "Release your spell!"
Still shocked by what she'd done, she reversed her will on the gravity—and jerked back as the stone burst into view again. Enhanced by the double might of their combined magic, it struck the pedestal like a blow of lightning, shattering it into a cloud of white dust and rubble.
When the smoke cleared the remains of the stone were embedded into the classroom floor. Tess stared at them, a thousand thoughts flitting through her mind. What had she just done? Had she really just moved something with her magic? Did it betray who she was? What would Hawk think when he heard? What was Drake thinking?