by Logan Byrne
There was a wall in front of me, maybe fifteen feet high, with no foot or handholds. I walked towards it, studying it, before I jumped back as an army of crossbows rose from the metallic floor. “Target engaged,” they said. My eyes opened wide. “Fire!”
Arrows shot out as my adrenaline kicked into high gear, my mind and body taking over on instinct alone. “Arma Maximus!” I yelled, swiping my wand from left to right. The arrows hit my shield, a burst of light blinding me as each bolt struck it, lighting up the room like a solar flare. The tip of my wand glowing, I exhaled. The bows retreated down into their holes, the floor closing over them. I couldn’t believe they’d put something like that on the course.
On edge, I walked forward, trying now to find anything that might hurt me. It wasn’t just an obstacle course, but rather a death trap of doom that was trying to take me out without remorse. I reached the wall, feeling it, the material devoid of anything to grip. I needed to use magic.
I pointed my wand straight in front of me and recited a spell I’d read over and over from the book, but had never tried in practice. “Eruptico!”
A burst of energy left the tip, hitting the wall and exploding like a thousand firecrackers set off at once. Smoke filled the immediate area. When it settled, a singe mark was the only thing left on the wall from the spell. It was intact, just a little scuffed up. There was no hole busted through it, as I’d hoped. I looked over at Charlie, who was quite a bit further than I was, but I didn’t let it get to me. He had it easier, definitely, and I didn’t have four paws and a tail to help me out.
Just then, I thought of the spell I used in the simulation for my trials back at the camp. I’d used my own spell to drift up the staircase without being heard. That would surely work here. “I need to get up over there, so please make my feet as light as air,” I chanted, and wisps formed around my feet.
Smiling, I jumped up, drifting effortlessly, before grabbing the top of the wall and pivoting myself over. I pushed myself down, floating like a slightly deflated balloon, before my feet touched the other side of the platform and I waved my wand to end the spell. Brilliant.
I looked up and saw a timer and the end of the course in sight. I only had two more obstacles in my path, and neither of them looked all that difficult. A rope swing and one final balancing act separated me from victory. The rope looked brand new, perfectly braided. It sat directly in the middle of the opening. It must’ve been ten feet away, maybe eight, and there was no way to get the rope or jump the opening without using a bit of magic first.
I flicked my wand and the same chains I’d used in my simulation flew out. I wrangled the rope after a couple tries and pulled back my wand, the rope coming with it. I grasped it, sticking my wand in my pocket, before grabbing it firmly with both hands. I stepped back, as far as the rope would allow, then ran forward and jumped for dear life across the opening. I looked down as I did, soaring. The lava seemed even hotter now than it had the rest of the time. I let go as I reached the next platform, hopping off and planting my feet firmly.
Small circular floating stone pads were my final obstacle, another one testing balance, although this seemed a little less painful. With one foot still on the safety of my platform, I stuck my foot out, probing the stone to see how much slack it had. It didn’t move. I slapped my foot down, wondering if more weight or force would do it, but it didn’t. The stone stood still. Taking a leap of faith, I jumped onto it. The stone stayed still, which I thought was a bit too easy for the final obstacle.
I hopped across them, jumping onto the other side before crossing the thin white line and seeing the timer stop above. Fourteen minutes and fifty-eight seconds. I hoped that anything sub-fifteen would be a good score. Another door opened and the other finishers from all the trials were inside, drinking water and eating cookies. I quickly grabbed mine, sitting down next to Charlie and introducing myself as if I’d never met him before.
“Congratulations on finishing,” I said with a friendly disposition.
“Thanks, you too. Have you, or had you, been training a lot for this?” he asked, smiling. He loved it that we were acting so stupidly right now.
“Yes, I have, how about yourself?” I asked, smiling.
“Indeed,” he replied. The doors soon opened again and Blake walked through. His face was a little singed and he was covered with sweat, but he’d made it, and that was all that mattered. Now I hoped Britta and Faus could do it.
Time went by so slowly, feeling as though it were standing still, as all of the winners waited for the others to finish. Each time the doors opened we all looked out, the three of us perking up in hopes of seeing Britta or Faus, but nothing. It was always somebody else, somebody we didn’t know. Each time we hung our heads until the next person came through.
After an hour had passed, the doors opened again and a familiar face came through. It was Faus, followed by Asher. Faus pushed his glasses up, smiling as he saw me, before I noticed Blake out of the corner of my eye looking annoyed. “He’s a good person,” I whispered.
“We’re just supposed to stick together. I don’t want to lose sight of that,” he said.
“You just don’t want me talking to another guy,” I said.
“How was your experience?” Asher asked, coming up to me with some water in hand.
“I didn’t have any near misses, but the first bit, the plank, was by far the worst,” I said.
“Yeah, I didn’t like the wall myself. Took a bit of time before I could figure out a solution to get over. Charlene said you had the best time over the past few months,” he said.
“W-what, really?” I asked, perking up and smiling. “That’s awesome.”
“Hey, congrats,” Charlie said, smiling.
“Yeah, good job,” Blake said with a sour tone.
“Would you like to sit down?” Charlie asked Asher, scooting over. Blake glared at him, his eyes turning yellow before going back to brown. Charlie smiled, almost flirtatiously, like he knew exactly what he was doing. They definitely had a brotherly relationship, and that included Charlie pushing Blake’s buttons at any chance he could get.
Faus sat a little further away, resting, while Charlie, Asher, and I sat around talking about our goals and what we hoped to get out of this. Blake looked on, only grunting when Charlie asked him something, before the doors opened for one last time and two more people joined us. I felt relief wash over my entire body when Britta walked through, looking tired as all hell and nodding at us. We’d all gotten through. Mirian was going to be most pleased.
12
“Congratulations to those of you who made it through each of the three trials and are now successfully verified as members of the M.A.G.I.C. police force. It is with great honor that we commission all of you, making you cadets. We will train you to be the next generation of magical law enforcement to bring peace and order to our world. The next steps are important. Each of you will be taken to be fitted for your uniforms, and your wands if you’re a mage, and then you will be assigned to your partners before starting fieldwork. As always, if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to ask your higher-ups,” Commissioner Miln said before heading out of the room. He really liked to come and go quickly.
“Okay, we’re going to separate you now into your three lines again. Mages will follow Mirian, shifters will follow Carlos, and all others will follow me,” Charlene said as we formed our lines.
“Be good,” I mouthed to Blake before he and his group took off. Mirian escorted the few mages over towards the fitting office, where faeries were flying busily around.
“This is simple. You just stand still, open your arms and legs, and let the fae do their work,” Mirian said, guiding us out into an open area.
I opened my feet and then my arms, sticking them straight out like he said. Faeries swarmed me, measuring tapes in tow, as they flew around me and recorded my measurements. I giggled, feeling the slight tickle of their wings, before they flew off and came back with a uniform for me. “P
erfect fit,” they said, smiling in unison.
“Thank you,” I said, smiling back and biting my lower lip a little. This was magical.
“More uniforms will be delivered to your rooms once the day is over. For now, we need to get wands,” Mirian said, motioning for us to follow him. We were seeing the nitty-gritty of the precinct, walking through intake, where all of the prisoner intakes were being processed. I saw goblins in handcuffs, humanoids in cells, and officers walking around with stacks of paperwork and testing an overworked coffee maker. It was amazing.
“Another batch of new recruits for fittings, Mirian?” a small man asked, hopping up from behind the counter in the room we entered. There were metal cages, tons of them, with all kinds of weapons and armor locked up inside.
“Yes, Gorchank, a new batch,” Mirian said with a smile. Gorchank was a gnome, a being I didn’t see often in my previous line of work. They were honest creatures, loving to work with their hands. They were capable of small bits of magic here and there, though nothing more than parlor tricks. It made sense they’d be trusted with locking up these supplies.
“All right, we will be fitting you all for your wands today. The process is simple, but I’ll explain it to you. One by one you’ll come up, and I’ll measure your hand, grip, and reflexes. From there, I’ll select an appropriate wand length and model, and you will test it out and see how it reacts. This will be your only wand. It is not a training wand, but a real full-powered model, so treat it well and it will treat you well in return. Let’s begin,” Gorchank said. We formed a line with Britta in front.
Gorchank rummaged through his drawer before pulling out a measuring tape and asking Britta to give him her dominant hand. He hummed as he measured everything, her fingers, palm, wrist, and even her forearm, before pulling out a wand for her to try. “Give that a twirl, will ya?” he asked.
Britta twirled it around, the tip glowing, and some coins on the side of his desk began to rise and dance around. Britta laughed, smiling, and Gorchank said it was a good fit. I was beginning to think he rarely had to go check twice. One by one we went through. There were some fails, which Gorchank said were user error, but everybody else got their wands. When it was my turn, I extended my hand, but Gorchank looked a bit mystified.
“I can feel the magic on this one, Mirian,” he said, something he hadn’t said about anybody else.
“Oh?” he asked, playing dumb.
“Mmhm,” Gorchank muttered, measuring me twice over. “This calls for the special ones.” Everybody peered at me, likely looking for what was so special. Gorchank reached down and pulled up an old cherry-stained wooden box and opened it. There were a few wands inside, all of them looking slightly nicer than the ones the others got. He pulled out one with a slightly longer tip. “This will treat you nicely, I suppose.”
I took the wand from him, the tip instantly lighting up purple without me doing anything before it dimmed back down. “Just as I thought,” he said. “Go ahead, try her out.”
I flicked the wand and the items on the first few shelves behind him started to levitate, a display of magic I hadn’t yet been capable of in the camp. My fellow mages gasped, whispers of my talent spreading. I lowered the wand and the objects floated downwards. “How does it feel?” he asked, with a seemingly vested interest in my approval.
“It feels right,” I said, looking down at the wand.
“I knew it would,” he said with a wink.
“Okay, you’re going to be escorted to an orientation, where you’ll meet up with the other recruits you were with earlier. From there, we will take you to our dormitories,” Mirian said.
“I thought we were getting apartments?” Asher asked, raising his hand.
“You will, but for the first month while you’re training we like to keep you all close by for proper monitoring. It just makes the transition smoother, we find,” Mirian said, and Asher nodded.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Gorchank exclaimed before we left. “You need your sheaths.” He pulled out leather sheaths that attached to our waists and holstered our wands the same way the mortals used holsters for guns. We clipped them on, sliding our wands into place. The feeling of being an officer was fully sinking in. Damn, I looked cool.
•••
“Welcome back, everybody, and I hope you’ve had a wonderful time thus far today. I know the trials were grueling, and I’m sure you’re hurting for dinner and rest before your first day tomorrow, but we still have some things to go over. Firstly, you will all be placed with partners starting tomorrow morning. We like to pair mages with shifters, as we find it provides the best chance of success in the field. You can rely on each other, and we find it lessens the chances of competition if you aren’t with somebody like you. You will be placed with an experienced officer for your field training. You must learn how to interact with citizens, make arrests, and look for clues to solve cases that you might be assigned to. Secondly, you will all be housed in dormitories with a roommate of the same gender. It could be somebody from any group, though we like to keep like-powered individuals together for cohesion purposes. Once your trial period is over, there is the opportunity to either live here on campus or to find your own apartment or home somewhere in the realm and commute to work. That’s up to you, but remember that you’ll need to pay for said dwelling with your own salary,” Charlene said as we all sat around listening.
“Expect your training and first few months to be difficult. Many people discount it, thinking it’s just walking around, doing paperwork, and giving tickets, but it’s much more than that. There are real threats out there, real criminals, real murderers, and people who will hate you just for the uniform and badge you will be wearing. Being a part of M.A.G.I.C., and an officer of the law, is a monumental task that will test the very fabric of your character. You will learn to stand on your own two feet, and the skills you learn here will prepare you for what is coming next,” Mirian said, ending the statement while looking intently at the five of us. He was giving us a message, and we were hearing it loud and clear.
“But those things will come over time, and for now you should get some rest. You’ll find your room assignments posted after dinner, so be sure to check that out. You will also find a welcome bag, including reading material, police procedures, and codes that you will need to know if you’re to continue working here. I wish you all the best,” Charlene said with a smile.
“You may enter the cafeteria, and I will see you all again soon,” Mirian said, extending his hand to the left. Like a swarm of moths to a light, we all filed down the hall towards the cafeteria, the smell of something good in the air filling my nose and causing my mouth to salivate. I’d barely eaten today, and I did way more than I should have on an empty stomach. It was time to gorge.
There were hot meals, cold meals, and snacks that were all free of charge. I couldn’t believe it. I took so much food: rice and beans, gruel, bread, a roasted chicken breast, and even some pie. I might have to stay here instead of getting my own place just so I could eat for free every day. I guess that was why a lot of the cops I saw were a bit chubby. I was going to be joining them soon enough.
Because the five of us been seen talking, we were able to sit together without anybody thinking anything of it. “Is that your wand?” Blake asked, peeking over the table and looking at my holster.
“She got a special one,” Britta said, raising her eyebrows.
“Fancy,” Charlie said.
“Okay, it’s not fancy, it’s just…different. The gnome told me to take it, I didn’t have a choice,” I said.
“I think it’s awesome. It really shows that you’ve progressed a lot,” Blake said.
I wanted to tell them the real reason that I got this wand. I knew it had to do with the mark of Merlin, and it seemed like the gnome picked up on it. Gnomes were known to sense magic, even the slightest hints of it, and maybe that was what he was alluding to with Mirian. Maybe Mirian even told him. All I knew was that it sucked having to k
eep it a secret from the people I cared about the most.
“What about you guys? What happened with you?” I asked, shoving a buttered roll into my mouth.
“We had to show off our shifting and our powers so they could mark it down, we got fitted for uniforms, and we learned some procedures, mainly about how we should interact with criminals, considering any of us could rip their throats out and all,” Blake said.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool. Blake had a sick transformation for them,” Charlie said.
“It was okay,” he said, smiling wide, obviously downplaying it.
“I wonder if any of us will be paired together,” I said.
“At least you guys have a chance,” Faus said, visibly annoyed.
“Hey, your role is just as important as ours, man. Don’t discount yourself,” Charlie said.
“I just hate not getting to do anything except sit in an office,” he said in a low tone. “I want to be out there with you all.” Britta put her hand on his back, patting him. Faus was pretty upset that he wouldn’t get to be the real version of himself and not what the resistance wanted him to be. I couldn’t say that I blamed him; I knew I would be upset if I had to pretend to be somebody or something I wasn’t. He was a shifter, kind of, and he deserved to be with Charlie and Blake.
“I’m nervous about the rooms. I don’t want to be placed with some weirdo,” Britta said, looking around the cafeteria at the other girls.
“I’m sure it’ll be okay. There’s only one other female mage, and they said they like to place us together. Maybe we’ll be together,” I said encouragingly.
I noticed Asher a few tables down, smiling and putting his hand up to wave. I nodded, giving a little smile back. Charlie noticed and smiled, always ready to poke with that stick. “New boyfriend?” he asked.