Christill stepped forward, moving up to the large gate. A pale stone wall rose high in front of him, preventing him from seeing what lay behind the entryway. The teachers had watched with disbelieving eyes as he had performed every task given to him, beyond and above expectations. Christill could not explain it. He was adapting to the use of his magic so rapidly that it was becoming second nature. It was as though he had known all along how to use it and was now simply unlocking the part of his mind that had for so long been dormant.
Christill had overheard that the decision to send him through his final test in the Academy had been reached after a heated debate between the Elders. And to his surprise he learnt that Dievu had been against the ruling at first. However his master had later been assured by Velski that Christill had taken in all that he could from the Academy and was now ready to continue his growth as a full disciple. He was shaken from his thoughts as Velski called out another name.
"Hilth Poa. You will enter with Christill," announced Velski.
Hilth, an older student with broad shoulders, stepped away from the rest of the class and walked up to Christill. "You will enter ten minutes before Christill."
Christill turned briefly towards Hilth with an encouraging smile, but only received a cold stare in return. Not all of the other students liked him, but he would have preferred to enter the training ground behind someone more accepting than Hilth. Of all of the students Christill had studied with, Hilth was the most unpleasant. In many ways he reminded Christill of Cathan; arrogant and not highly imaginative.
"You will have twenty minutes in which to make your way to the other end of the grounds," explained Velski. "Inside you will find obstacles that will test everything you should know by now. If you are successful in this test, you will be ready to take your final steps in becoming a disciple."
Christill shook with excitement as she spoke. Was he finally going to make something out of himself? All he had to do was make it through this last barrier. A gong sounded from within the grounds, echoing amongst the treetops, and the gate slowly creaked open. Hilth turned and smiled at the other students. He then walked into the training grounds. Christill watched as the gate closed itself and waited for the next gong that would signal his turn.
The minutes dragged on, with Christill growing more nervous. What if the last few weeks had been a stroke of luck? It was rare, but not unheard of, for a student to move through the Academy in a matter of weeks. Some people were born with natural talent, but what if he was not?
The gong sounded once more and the gate parted for Christill. He pushed asides his reservations and stepped through the towering wall. In front of him stood a large complex in the shape of a triangle with a rectangular entrance shooting out from its front. The ground around the structure was dark and broken and at first glance seemed to be rotting. Christill approached the building, not wanting to waste any time, and noticed that the entire building was covered in foul smelling lichen and barbed vines.
Stepping up to the entry, he saw that the rusted iron gate had been forced aside. He followed the corridor into the structure, where a dim light shone in the passage ahead. Christill slowed his pace and stepped out into a long room. His brow lowered as he saw that the floor abruptly dropped away and fell into a deep pit filled with spikes. The gap to the other side of the room was around fifteen feet long.
He let out a breath of relief. If this was what he could expect, then he should have no trouble. The magic of Nyrune travelled through Christill's body and he slowly willed himself off the ground. He kept his concentration fixed on the door on the opposite side of the room and floated over the spiked pit with ease. Landing gently on the stone floor, he moved through the second door.
The next room was pitch black. Could it really be this simple? He formed a small glowing ball of mist. The magic illuminated the room and Christill found himself staring at a solid stone wall. Perhaps not.
This was unexpected. The door behind him slammed shut with a bang and he was left standing in the faint light of his magic. Christill sent his light around the room, looking for some hint as to how to proceed, but found nothing. He then moved towards the wall and began to feel around the edges of the stone. As he reached the left side of the wall he spotted a slight line at the place where the two walls met. "Oh!" he said out aloud.
Christill stepped back and raised both of his hands. Allowing his magic to flow into the middle of the wall, he sent his arms wide and with a loud groan the wall began to split in half. The two halves ground their way into the sides of the room, leaving a small gap in the middle of the stone. The grinding sent a cloud of dust into the room that stung his eyes and Christill was forced to run through to the next heavy door. He pushed against it and suddenly found himself plummeting downwards into darkness.
Summoning his magic once more, he brought his fall to a halt and created a light in his hand. Below him, the door he had pushed plummeted away into darkness and above he could make out a faint glow. He focused all of his will to raising himself higher and as he approached the glow he saw that it was a small tunnel.
Christill quickly crawled in and took a deep breath. The constant use of magic was physically draining him. He began to crawl through the tunnel and dropped out into a massive chamber full with plant life and running water. The moist ground sank under his steps, sucking his feet into the swamp like soil. The exit to the room was on the far side of a large murky pool before him.
Making his way towards the door, he heard a strange whooping halfway through the room. He turned and gasped as he spotted three thin apes crawling out of the tunnel. They sprang into the room and began to throw the mud and stones from the ground at him.
Christill raised his hand and formed a barrier which stopped the projectiles in their flight. He then made a run for the door and grabbed the handle, opening it quickly. He slammed the door shut behind him, hearing the crazed shouts and screeches of the apes as they continued to throw rocks against the door.
What in the world was that, he thought distressfully, as he prepared to face his next challenge.
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 111