by Logan Byrne
I quickly arrived at the precinct. There were officers walking in and out as I walked up the stairs and inside. It was grandiose, telephones ringing everywhere, pixies flying through the air with letters and notes, bird shifters flying from level to level, like something out of a dream. White marble floors with streaks of gray and golden lights were met with the clanking of heels and soles against the hard floor as officers from all departments ran around. The ceiling was high, a skylight above raining through light that gleamed off in every direction. “Hello, I’m here to participate in the trials program,” I said to a woman behind the front counter.
“Name?” she asked.
“Lexa Blackmoon,” I said nervously, thinking my name had been marked and I’d be caught. She scrolled through her notes before coming upon my file and nodding.
“Have you right here. You can take this to floor three, room J, and they’ll sort you out,” she said with a smile, handing me the paper. I thanked her, my racing heart calming slightly, before walking up the marble stairs towards the third floor.
I smiled as I walked. The craziness and hectic nature of the creatures zooming around me would make any sane person laugh because of their theatrics. Shifters jumped around, some of them shifting in and out of their forms as they ran from room to room. The pixies were like planes in the sky, as little trails of sparkles shimmered in the air behind them before dissipating.
When I found the room I was supposed to be in I saw Britta and Charlie already inside, sitting apart from one another. I did the same and sat next to a man who snorted and wiped his nose. He looked half-ogre; the warts gave it away. He didn’t fit the typical mold of a police officer. He also wasn’t too different from the man in the pub a couple months ago. Maybe he was here for a different kind of position.
Blake and Faus came in one after the other, their papers in their hands, all of us sitting as far apart as we could. There was something frightening about it, being so far away from the people I was conspiring with. It felt like the others here would just know what was going on. As more people came in, though, about twenty-one in all, nobody said a word. We were safe, for now.
“Good morning, recruits. My name is Sergeant Nigel Paul, and I’ll be your instructor and grader for your first trial. Please have your papers ready and Charlene here will be around to pick them up.”
Sergeant Paul was tall, maybe six-foot-three, with gray stubble and a shaved head. He was muscular, and his skin looked weathered and almost leather-like. Charlene, a younger woman, smiled and took the papers the front desk had given us before handing them to the Sergeant. He looked through them, nodding, before barking orders.
“Mages, get on the right side of the room, shifters on the left, and everybody else towards the back,” he said, pointing in each direction as he yelled.
My lovely ogre friend stayed put as I got up and walked towards Britta. A man sat down in the spot I was heading for right before I could get to it. The only spot left was next to her. Panicked, I sat down, not even looking at her, though I noticed her glancing at me out of the corner of my eye. Don’t give us up, Britta, I thought. Don’t even look at me.
While our papers were being looked over, I gazed across the room, seeing Faus stuck between my ogre pal and another portly fellow, squished with his shoulders tucked in towards his chest. I tried not to smile. Blake was on the other side of the room, his gaze fixed on me. Neither of us moved a facial muscle, blinking slowly, like we were connected and in perfect sync. I felt calm looking at him. That was, until the Sergeant spoke again.
“This trial is an apprehension simulator unlike anything you’ve ever done before,” he said, and I tried not to smirk. “You will face an arrest situation where you must hunt, locate, and apprehend your subject without fail. You will have one attempt, and failure will result in your dismissal from this round of hiring.”
This wasn’t going to be as forgiving as my training, with only the one attempt, but I was confident. I stood up as the other mages went inside other rooms next to mine. The room was similar to my training room, dark. There was no headset but there was a wand sitting in the room. “This is simple,” the operator said. “The walls will turn into a simulation around you. The floors will move as you move, so you can run, jump, walk, and anything else you can physically do in the real world and have it input into the simulation. This wand is your controller and will work just like a real wand would, so you can use any spell you want without fail. You’ll have thirty minutes. Do you have any questions?” she asked.
“No, I think I’ve got it,” I said with a small smile. She walked out of the room and a few seconds later, it turned on.
My eyes grew big. Every wall turned into an image, like I was standing outside and this was all real. It was way more real than the headset I used, and the wand wasn’t connected to anything. This was amazing. It felt even more real than reality itself. The prompt came up and I tried not to laugh. It was the same one as before, hunting the goblin. Pote and the others really set us up for success, that was for sure. I wondered if Mirian had any hand in making sure we got this simulation.
I kept on the same route I’d used before, knowing exactly where to find the goblin and the tricks he’d used. I blazed through it, completing it ten minutes faster than I did during my training. The simulation ended, the screens shutting off, and the operator swiftly came inside. “That was amazing. It’s rare that we have students do so well on their first go around,” she said in shock.
“I just have a knack for detective work,” I said with a smile.
We were afforded a small snack and drink as we waited for the second trial to start. We sat in a cafeteria, the main one for the precinct, with cops and detectives walking about, chatting, laughing, and completely at ease. It seemed…nice. Everybody seemed to get along. They looked like they were having fun, and there didn’t seem to be an ounce of regret or annoyance at being here. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad here. I was pretty happy to be out of the mud and away from a cold tent, that was for sure.
“Have you been studying much?” a guy next to me asked.
I turned. He was of average height and build and he wore glasses, though they were the kind of hipster black-rimmed kind, and he had parted brown hair and a clean-shaven face. “I’ve been trying my hardest, but I had no idea what I should study, exactly. How about you?” I asked, trying to be polite.
“Yeah, my parents have been on my case about getting into the program. It’s highly coveted, and it pays well, at least with time,” he said, nodding. “Are you a mage, or?”
“Yeah, I’m a mage. How about you?” I asked.
“Same. It seems like I’ve been practicing and learning forever, just for this moment,” he said.
I looked over, seeing Blake noticing me talking to the guy. He looked away. Was he jealous? We did have a good moment at the camp, but this was just harmless talking. Guys could get pretty stupid when they liked a girl, though.
“I didn’t catch your name. I’m Lexa,” I said, extending my hand.
“Asher,” he said, smiling and shaking my hand.
“Okay, your break time is now over. If you’ll all follow me, I’ll escort you to the next trial,” Charlene said, and my conversation with Asher quickly ended. We walked together, single-file. Blake glanced back at me, an annoyed look on his face, like I was betraying his trust. I wasn’t leaving our group, and obviously I wasn’t bringing this guy along, but it was nice to talk to somebody who wasn’t a part of the resistance and who was just normal. I hadn’t really been around normal for months, and even then it was shaky at best. Deep down all I’d ever wanted was to be a normal girl, with a family, friends, an education, and a life, but I wasn’t afforded that privilege. Talking to Asher, somebody who didn’t know me, or my past, or what I was hoping for my future, was a taste of that normalcy I’d craved over the years.
We walked into another room where desks were arranged in perfect order and the shiny white floors reflected the white ceilings
above. It was sterile, the only color coming from Mirian, who was standing behind a white desk at the front of the room. “Find a seat, any seat you’d like,” he said, his hands behind his back. He didn’t look at any of us, his face like stone, not giving us any attention at all.
Blake sat next to me, a little distance still between us. I guess he felt like Mirian was a buffer he could use to be near me again. “Don’t get too friendly,” he whispered.
“I’m just making friends,” I said, the chatter of the room drowning out our conversation.
“You never know who he is, he could be a spy,” he said.
“Like you?” I asked before looking away, annoyed.
“My name is Mirian and I will be the proctor for your examination. This examination will be the second of your three trials, and must be completed at a satisfactory grade if you are to pass on to your third and final trial before attempting to join the M.A.G.I.C. police force. You may start your examination once I say begin,” he said.
Mirian took out his wand, waving it at his desk, and the drawer opened and dozens of paper exams floated out, each one finding a desk and gently setting in front of the student. Our names were already on them. As I read the first question near the top of the page, the bubble next to the third answer glowed. My eyes opened wide. I looked casually around the room and didn’t see it happening for anybody else, but for me it was as clear as day. I looked up at Mirian. He was looking back at me and he winked, as if telling me he knew and it was supposed to do that.
This was how they were going to guarantee that we passed the examination. Hell, if I’d known this, I wouldn’t have tried so hard to study! “You may begin,” Mirian said, and I picked up my pencil and started to scribble in my answers. There was a fine line, a dance, between just filling in the blanks quickly and taking my time. I read each question, both to make it look like I was actually taking the test and to give myself some extra knowledge about this whole magic thing. After all, I did have the cheat sheet in front of me.
The five of us finished fairly quickly in comparison to the others, closing our exams before taking them up to the front of the room. I nodded with a little smile, as did the others, even those not in our group. When I returned to my seat, my leg was restless, tapping up and down, nervous I would be caught or get in trouble. I knew I wouldn’t, since Mirian was a master mage and he wouldn’t do it if he had a chance of getting caught, but I still felt the thrill of it. It took me back to my thieving days.
“Time,” Mirian said after exactly sixty minutes had elapsed. Three people hadn’t finished. There was a look of pure defeat on their faces. “If you would, wait here and the examinations will be graded and you will be given your results. Your desk will light up either green or red, pass or fail. Those who fail will be escorted out of the building and will have the chance to test again after one full month has passed.”
Mirian left the room, the stack floating behind him, before the chatter picked back up and I was left waiting. I wondered what the third trial would be and how we would react to it. We hadn’t done a mock trial for that one, but the surveillance mission instead, so I wasn’t sure I was going to pass that one. For all I knew it was going to be a live mission or duel or something.
After a short five or six minutes, Mirian came back inside. The room went silent. “Your examinations have been graded. Your desk will now glow with either a green or red hue to indicate if you’ve passed or failed,” he said.
The desks turned on, glowing. Mine was green, as were Faus’s, Britta’s, Blake’s, and Charlie’s, just like they should have been. Asher’s turned green, as well as many of the other students’ desks, but there were some that glowed red. They all looked annoyed, sad, or defeated, but all accepted the fate and were escorted out of the room. They’d get to try again soon, at least. It wasn’t completely over for them.
“If you’ll all follow me, we will start our journey towards the third and final trial. A guest would like to speak to you once we arrive,” Mirian said with a smile.
We all walked into a stone room, maybe cement. The walls were a tired gray, much like me right now. The day hadn’t been terribly long, it was just past lunch, but the whole waking up early thing combined with the trials, even if I’d been prepared, was a bit draining. I wanted a nap more than anything.
There was a man standing at the front of the room by a podium, watching us as we filed inside the chamber. “Good afternoon, and welcome. My name is Commissioner Miln, and I want to welcome you all to the third and final trial. I hear you’re all the best of the best this month, having completed both the first and second trials. As the leader some of you will come to work for, I want to show my gratitude that you’ve chosen to try out for a spot on our force. We’re an ever-growing group that aims to bring peace and justice to the magical realm. With those of you who pass today, we know we will bring the best future officers to a family who needs you. With that said, it is time to begin the third and final trial,” he said.
The walls next to us began to open as dust fell from above, our faces illuminated by the glow of a punishing heat. “This is the third trial, the obstacle course. This is the shifter course. Mages will be taken to the one further down, and other non-shifter, non-mage folk will find a different one yet. It is a state-of-the-art course, designed to test your physical ability as well as your mental fortitude and critical thinking skills. Everybody must do it, so be prepared, be smart, and most of all, remember that not everything is what it seems,” the commissioner said before leaving the room as we gawked in amazement.
I wouldn’t have believed this existed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. We were at least twenty feet up in the air. The red-orange glow of molten lava flowing below us lit up and heated the entire room, which must’ve been extended by magic. There was no other explanation. Thick planks extended between the platforms on the course, high walls prevented you from going forward, and swinging axes, just to name a few things, were aplenty. How was I going to get through this?
“You will be examined on your cleverness today to get across the course. Once on the other side, you will have completed the obstacles and you will be able to move along to become an official, full-fledged member of the M.A.G.I.C. police force and family. Shifters may use their full forms and powers, mages will be provided a wand and allowed to use any spells they wish. The others will be able to rely upon any skills they have at their disposal. Remember, theirs will be quite a bit easier than the other two. You will not be able to witness another person going across, to preserve the secrets of the course and how to beat it, and you will go one at a time. If those who are mages and other types will follow me, I will escort you to your respective rooms,” Charlene said.
“We could’ve used some warning,” I whispered to Britta as we walked out of the room.
“No kidding, I can’t do that! That looks like a literal hell, with fire and brimstone and everything!” she said, whispering her exasperation. Her eyes looked bloodshot and crazed.
The mages, all six of us, were led into a room next door that was identical to the one we were just in. “The first person to run the course is Gregory Killam,” Charlene said, reading his name from a clipboard. We all looked around, seeing Gregory walk forward, gulping a little. He picked a wand from the selection, nodding when Charlene asked if he was ready. When the doors opened he stepped out, and they then shut.
The rest of us took a seat on a cement bench, waiting, maybe two minutes, before the doors opened. Gregory was nowhere to be seen. “Looks like he didn’t make it. Regan, you’re up next,” Charlene said casually.
“Where did he go?” I whispered to Britta.
“You don’t think, you know, he—”
“Don’t say that! I can’t even think about that right now!” I said, panicked.
The second contestant took longer, maybe fifteen minutes, before the doors opened again. “Congratulations to Regan, who completed the course in fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Lexa
Blackmoon, you’re up next,” she said, and my heart and stomach dropped.
“Good luck,” Britta mouthed as I got up. I wiped my hands against my pants, slowly walking over to the doors, the heat of the course blasting against me. I picked a wand, the same size as the one I’d been practicing with, and nodded to Charlene to indicate I was ready.
“Once you step beyond that line, your time will start. Remember, there’s no time limit,” she said. I looked down at a thin white line that the doors normally covered. I could do this, I knew I could. I’d practiced for so long, my spells were great, and I had the dexterity and agility of a thief. If anybody was built for this, it was me.
I stepped past the line and the doors swiftly shut behind me. I wiped my already sweaty brow and looked over to my left and right. I could see the other courses next to me, the one for the various other magical types being maneuvered by somebody I didn’t know. The shifter course was open. Orange lava bubbled below, putrid gases escaping with each pop. I stepped out from the sanctuary of my platform and started the course.
The first obstacle was a thin plank, more of a tight rope, with nothing at all to hold onto. Right before I stepped on, the doors to my left opened and another challenger appeared on the shifter side. Charlie. He saw me, gently nodding, though not hard enough for anybody else to notice, before I saw him shift. He was a jaguar, a big cat, his massive tail forming a counterbalance that benefited him greatly. He jumped around his first obstacle, slanted platforms that you couldn’t stand on but could thrust off of. He completed it with ease while I stood still, the tip of my right foot planted on the plank.
I kept my wand in hand, sliding my feet onto the plank. The board was roughly the width of each shoe. With one foot in front of the other, my arms out for balance, I took my time, each breath short and shallow to keep myself from over-inflating and putting myself off. “Come on, you can do this,” I whispered, encouraging myself as I hit the next platform. I looked behind me, relieved, my brain not yet picking up on the next thing I had to do.