A Time for Magic

by Jessa Ford

  The familiar cool Telgrian air met her as she stepped into the road and slowly walked to the trolley. Her nose would be red by the time she arrived. The warm weather of the previous week was merely a memory. She allowed herself to take in everything about the street she knew so well. Cora had no idea what awaited her at her destination. She noticed the lights in Willem’s house were out; he had already left for the School of Building. Cora arrived just on time for the trolley and put her trunk in the storage compartment. She was thankful no one she knew was riding this line. She wasn’t sure she could bear another encounter with Tiegly, or even Willem.

  Cora leaned her head against the window and watched the tops of buildings float by. Sometimes it amazed her she could travel in such a way. Both Light Wielders and Builders helped create the trolley system. Builders had mapped out the routes and created the cars. Light Wielders, though, made it magic. They harnessed the electricity that ran through the cables and powered the trollies. Once when she was young, Cora and her father saw a Light Wielder fixing a trolley car. She remembered standing in awe as the man pulled electricity from the sky and forced it to flow into the cable. Her father explained to her then how important people with magic were to the city. They helped create and provide energy for many things in Telgria. It was important, he pointed out, that all classes worked together in unison. Despite their importance, people who had magic were now rare. To her knowledge, Cora hadn’t seen a Light Wielder since that day.

  FOUR

  The trolley slowly approached the city’s main station and a familiar feeling of dismay lingered in Cora. The last time she had been here was to attend her Reading. She pushed the memory from her mind and exited the trolley in a rush. Cora collected her trunk and looked for her connecting ride. She would now take a southwest trolley to Starbury Academy. She wondered if anyone else was headed to her destination, but she appeared to be the only student around.

  Cora had never been to the opposite side of Telgria before, but she knew the city was set up like a circle. Cora resided on the northeast side with her family, opposite of Starbury. Other schools were placed throughout the city as well, except the School of Growing. Anyone in the Growing Class would be just outside the southeastern Telgrian walls to have quick access to fields. It was the next closest school to Cora, as the sun shone more on the south side of Telgria, and they needed it for food production.

  Cora entered her final trolley and let herself daydream until they reached their destination. Upon arrival, she was the last to exit the car, though it didn’t take nearly as long as the busy city center. She was surprised by how few people were in the streets in this part of town. Cora already felt the difference surrounding Starbury Academy. It was not a pleasant feeling.

  Along with a knack for reading, Cora had always possessed a great memory. She could recall entire passages of books if necessary, and she always remembered conversations. Visual things like maps were easy to memorize. She thought back to the map that Starbury Academy sent along with her school materials. Cora began walking in the direction of the school. The buildings in this part of Telgria were similar to her home. Unlike her home, which was located a reasonable distance from the edge of the city, Starbury Academy was on the very edge of town. It backed up to a forest, which took the place of a portion of the city’s wall. The forest was so densely populated with foliage that it was nearly impossible to travel through.

  The Starbury campus itself was surprisingly spacious, despite its location. The school consisted of four buildings: the main building which housed classrooms and offices; the library, nestled slightly behind the main building; the dining center, which sat a few yards opposite the library; and student living quarters. Cora arrived in front of the main gates and paused. The large iron gates were opened, leading one’s eyes to the main building which sat impressively behind them. The building was three stories high with a light red brick exterior and tall white columns flanking either side of the entrance. All of the buildings looked the same, save for the library, which was an old house that still resided on the Starbury campus.

  As instructed, Cora rolled her trunk toward the student living quarters. The building had one main entrance that she could see. Upon entering, she learned the first floor included a common space for students to gather, as well as a small shared sitting space, and mailboxes. Each floor alternated between boys and girls up to a fifth floor. Remembering the weight of the trunk at her feet, Cora hoped she would not be assigned to the fifth floor. Luckily, she found first year students lived on the lower levels. She was assigned to a room on the second floor, and she quickly climbed the stairs in search of her new home.

  At the end of the hallway she found her door. Cora hesitated, then opened the door and took in her new surroundings. Slightly larger than her room at home, her room at Starbury included a bed, a reasonably large closet, and a sitting table and chairs. There was also a small bathroom next to the closet. It was more like a small home than a room. It would be her home, she realized, for the foreseeable future.

  ✽✽✽

  Before Cora could unpack she heard a knock at the door. She opened it and was greeted with a grin. “Hi, I’m Soph Nevarza. I live across the hall." A tall, tan girl extended her hand for Cora to shake. She had light eyes and curly black hair that seems as alive as she was. Cora obliged and held out her own hand. “I’m Cora.” “What do you think of the rooms?” Soph gestured to the space behind Cora and walked past her, “I mean I figured for jail they’d have us set up in something closer to a dreary cell.” She continued talking and Cora realized she was smiling. She watched as the girl flitted about her room, talking about her expectations and impressions of Starbury. Her black curls bounced as she moved, and Cora instantly felt like they’d known each other for years. It was possible she would have a friend at Starbury.

  Cora learned Soph was facing a similar situation, though she didn’t appear any worse for the wear. Both her parents had attended the School of Knowledge. Her mother worked as a teacher in one of the lower schools, and her father was a bookkeeper for a store in the Business District. “I’m not surprised I didn’t get into the School of Knowledge like my parents,” Soph continued as she sat on Cora’s bed and watched Cora unpack. “I always had a hard time staying interested in school. I’ve always been more interested in people. What about your family? Are you the odd one out, too?”

  Cora shared her history as Soph listened intently. She realized how defeated she sounded as the words spilled out of her. Had she really pinned her entire future on becoming a Healer? “Wow, I guess for you it really is shocking you ended up here. It sounds like you should have been a legacy at the School of Healing,” Soph’s green eyes flashed empathy at Cora, who wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Soph took the temperature of the room, as she was accustomed to doing in social situations. “Well,” Soph shot up a moment later, “let’s make the best of it while we’re here, huh?” Cora merely nodded. “At least we can find out what they’ve got scheduled for us today.” Soph linked Cora’s arm in hers and dragged her out the door.

  Cora and her new friend walked down the path toward the library, following the line of students that were headed in the same direction. New students would have a quick introduction, followed by a free afternoon to explore before classes began the following day. All first-year students took the same courses to ensure they learned the same material about the gifts. During their second year students had the ability to choose courses which may aid them in finding a career after graduation.

  The library was a magnificent old house. Cora marveled at it as they arrived; it was two full stories, with a smaller third story that was once a tower for stargazing. Star gazers were responsible for mapping the night sky, and many years back it had been the only way people could travel before roads were established between cities in Caslya. The home’s original owner had created many of the star maps still used by Telgrians to get around outside of the city where road travel was less accessible. It did not
escape Cora that the home of someone once revered became part of one of the lowest rungs of Telgrian society.

  Stepping into the library was like stepping home for Cora. It was warm and welcoming, and for the first time since she’d learned of her school placement, she felt like she could see herself spending time in the space. It was also filled floor to ceiling with books, save for the group of desks in the middle of the space behind the information desk. Cora glanced down the rows and saw chairs and desks squeezed between and amongst the sea of books. It would be easy to hide here for long periods of time, she thought, which was exactly what she intended to do. After a few moments, Cora realized she had stopped dead in her tracks and she ran to catch up with Soph who was busy introducing herself to students seated at one of the tables.

  Once all of the new students were settled into the tables, a small old woman stood in front of them. They had not noticed her arrival. “Welcome,” her voice, though quiet, filled the space with ease, “my name is Dari LaFore. I am the librarian here at Starbury, and can help you with any reading material requests you may have. Students are permitted to check out books beginning as early as today, as you all have accounts established. There are maps on each level depicting the different sections and offerings, and the tower houses all of our magical reading material. Should you need any help, never hesitate to ask myself or my assistant, whom you will see around here often; though he’s out completing work for me at present. We also communicate with the libraries of other schools, so if you find you are inclined toward a specific vocation we can make requests for additional reading.” As Cora suspected, the library was one good thing about being placed at Starbury.

  “Our Headmaster, Martin Keenly, is currently away on business, so I’ll be filling in for his welcome address as well. You’ll find your class schedules are on the tables, separated by last name. There will be two main classes and you will all cover the same material, albeit during alternate times. You will have the rest of this afternoon to get yourselves better acquainted with Starbury Academy, your rooms, and your peers. We’re very pleased you’ve been selected to join us and we look forward to a year of discovery.” She nodded to the students and left just as quickly as she had arrived.

  It was fitting, Cora mused, that the headmaster wouldn’t even attend the welcome at Starbury. She found her schedule and was pleased to find both she and Soph were assigned to morning classes. It would leave their afternoons free to study and socialize, two things in which Cora rarely found herself participating. “Should we go find our classes?” Soph stood to leave, but Cora paused. She hovered by the information desk until she found what she was looking for: a library map. Cora made a mental note to study the map of the library so she would know exactly where to return when her real work began.

  Cora was determined to prepare herself to request her next Reading as soon as she could. As it stood, she still had five months before she could make a request. During this time, she vowed to learn everything there was to know about all the gifts. Though her heart was still set on healing, Cora suspected she would need a different approach this time around. Magic always interested her, specifically the physiological aspect of it. Only the most specialized healers could heal someone with magical blood.

  Anyone who possessed magic had some amount of magic in their blood. Depending upon how much magic their blood contained, they were either very powerful or they could only partially tap into a magical gift. As far as anyone knew, magical gifts were becoming rarer. Those with magic could pass on their magic to their children, so if two parents had magic in their blood it increased the likelihood their children would carry the magic onto further generations.

  Telgria still saw plenty of Light Wielders and Wind Wielders; both played an important role in agriculture and the overall functional needs of the city. Thought Seekers were rarer, but often served in a judiciary role. They had the ability to see someone’s memories through touch. The rarest of all magical gifts was time bending. Time Benders could move through time and space. They could slow down or speed up in order to manipulate time as well. It required a significant amount of magical blood, though only few Time Benders had been discovered in the past twenty years. Cora made a mental note to investigate the relationship between the magical gifts, in hopes that as a specialized healer she would need to know as much as possible, should they ever have a magical patient.

  Cora followed Soph for the rest of the first day, going through the motions of socializing and pretending she was slightly excited about her classes. She already knew they would be a breeze. She was only enrolled in three classes: History of Gifts, Practical Gift Application, and Healing Arts. The reading for each class was nearly completed before Cora had even left for Starbury. Based on the description of each course, they would hardly be more rigorous than the courses Cora took in the lower schools. She supposed it didn't make a difference.

  Cora and Soph sat with the other first year students in the Dining Center at the end of their first day. Starbury was small compared to other schools, but Cora was still surprised to see how many people were Unreadable. There seemed to be just as many second-year students as first-years. Cora didn’t recognize anyone. She ate quickly and made an excuse to go back to her room and organize her materials for the following day. She was tempted to sneak back to the library, but decided it could wait. She wouldn’t make any monumental discoveries overnight, after all.

  ✽✽✽

  The first week of classes flew by. Cora was not surprised to discover her summer reading had placed her weeks ahead of her peers. She only attended class to go through the motions of being a student, and it felt like time started to stand still. Her last class of the day was History of Gifts. It was the one class in which Cora found herself paying attention; though each day she made a beeline for the library when class ended so she could learn more. She was surprised by how little the library was used.

  It seemed students at Starbury Academy were split in two groups: those who, like Cora, were desperate to leave, and those who had accepted their fate. The latter focused on their newfound social freedom instead of academics. Cora mapped out a way to complete all of her assignments for her first few weeks in order to free up time for her real work: prepping for her next Reading. The library offered refuge from the student living quarters and allowed her to quickly make her way through class assignments. The days blended together as Cora made her way through her work.

  Toward the beginning of her second week Cora noticed students checking their mailboxes when she returned to the student living quarters. Not suspecting she had any mail, she checked her box anyway and was pleasantly surprised. A letter had arrived from Willem. She felt guilty that she completely forgot to write him since she arrived at Starbury. Cora hurried upstairs, clutching the letter to her chest as if it were something precious. She closed her door and tore it open, eager to hear from her dear friend.

  Dear Cora,

  I can’t believe we have only been in school for a few days. I feel like I’ve been working for weeks already. I hope Starbury is treating you well. We spend most of our days outside right now, learning about the structural work behind buildings. Do you get to spend any time out doors? I’m sure the weather is better on the south side of Telgria—if only slightly. I must admit, it was strange going to classes without you here. Not that you were going to be a Builder, but I keep reminding myself you aren’t going to be here to study with or talk to in between classes. It’s a lot of change. Anyway, I hope this letter finds you well. I miss you, Cor.

  -Willem

  P.S. See? I told you I’d write!

  Cora read the letter over again and placed it carefully between some books on her shelf. She sat down at her table and pulled out paper and a pencil. She found it was difficult to condense everything she wanted to say in one letter. She could write a book with all the things she wanted to tell Willem. In the end, she decided on a brief history of her first week at Starbury.

  Hello Willem,
<
br />   I’m so happy you were able to write. I admit, I got a little caught up in starting school and forgot to send you a letter. I miss you, too. Starbury is…interesting. Many students were just as surprised as me to find they were Unreadable after the Readings. It is kind of humbling to know I’m not alone. My classes are a breeze, but I’ve discovered they have the most wonderful library here. I spend a lot of time there, as you can imagine. I made a new friend also. Her name is Soph. She is a ball of energy and always dragging me to do things. You would like her. I hope you continue to enjoy everything at the School of Building. I look forward to our first school break when we can see each other again.

  Always,

  Cora

  Within a short time, Cora received another letter from Willem. Like clockwork, his letters arrived every three or four days. It allowed Cora to remind herself she had a life outside of Starbury, a life that was waiting for her as soon as she could reach it

  FIVE

  Cora spent almost all her weekends in the library during her first month at Starbury. It became her refuge from the world outside. She struck up a conversation with the librarian each time she entered, taking the old woman’s recommendations and reporting back on her findings. “What do we have today?” Dari, the librarian, asked when Cora arrived one early morning, a stack of books in hand. “Well,” Cora sat the books down on the counter with a huff, “I agree that the Modern History of Thought Seeking was interesting, but I didn’t think it was very factual. I looked up more information and, turns out the author was paid by the Telgrian Police Department to research and write the book. It’s no wonder there was no mention of the ethical dilemma they faced when they started employing Thought Seekers.”