The pitter patter of the rain falling on the broken shingles that never got repaired yesterday made the small common room drowsy but the crackle and hiss of the fire kept the room being too quiet. A large blue overstuffed armchair sat in the corner next to the fire to give its occupant light to read his papers. A small lighter blue couch was pushed up against the far wall to give enough room for a small table to stand a little away from the fireplace between the two.

In the opposite corner of the armchair was a small writing oak desk with two candle holders in each corner to give the slender girl light to continue working on her homework that she had been given. A small clock stood on the top of the fireplace mantle making a soft rhythmic ticking sound adding to the gentle fall of the rain outside.

“Malisa, it’s nearly time for you to be in bed. Are you done with those questions I gave you?” A low gruff voice rumbled from the tall male sitting in the armchair. The girl barely looked up from her work as she answered him in a soft voice.

“I’m on the last question, Father. The one about the Ancient Battle Masters of each Battle Academy.” Her pencil scratched across the paper furiously.

Her father looked at her curiously before rubbing the whiskers on his chin. “Wasn’t that the very first question on the paper Malisa?” He frowned at her. The girl blew out a breath and tossed her light brown curls over her shoulder in irritation.

“Yes, Father but I saw other questions much easier to answer and then moved on to the more challenging questions to get the work done faster.” She turned to face him, pinning him with a challenging glare; her silver blue eyes flashing brightly.

“Would you go after the King without first taking out his protections? Would you let a battalion of Calvary rush towards the enemy without knowing how many archers they had or the positions they held?” Her father tried to hold back a smile that was threatening to break his mask of sternness while he held up his hands in surrender.

The girl broke out into a wide smile that lightened up her face as she realized her Father conceded her the point of her argument. He then held up one finger in front of his face and closed one eye. She frowned before slumping into the hard wooden chair; it never ended well for her when he did that.

“All it takes is one man to infiltrate the King’s defenses, after a few weeks of observing the layout and the routine while your Calvary could be a decoy to pull your enemy to a more suitable vulnerability point for the men you have behind your horsemen. Tactics, my dear; are never as straight forward and brash as you have a habit of making them out to be. Tomorrow is your brother’s departure, go get some rest and I’ll have you study more on your tactical advances and disadvantages for each engagement when we return home.” He folded the paper in his hand while he smiled at her and bent down to extinguish the guttering fire.

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Malisa bite her lip as she thought on her father’s words; half-heartedly paying attention to her nightly routine of tapering out the candle’s lights and heading up the dark stairwell to the third floor where her and her brothers’ rooms were. Her father headed down to the first floor where he and her mother slept above the weapon chamber as well as their escape tunnels in the cellars.

As she reached the top stair she yawned hugely as lightening streaked across the night sky; lighting up the hallways from the small window down the hall. She thought about tomorrow, the day her younger brother would leave three years early to attend one of the three prestigious Academies in England and study to become one of the youngest Mages to show enormous promise in over half a century.

‘Battle Mage Academy, the third Academy to be built after the rise of Mages in 1404; it’s said to house the most powerful clans whose history is soaked in magical ancestry.’ Her heart filled with pride and happiness at the thought of her little brother being that special.

As she passed his door that was right next to the stairs; she brushed her fingers lightly across it and sent a small prayer to the heavens above in hopes that his age does not hinder him. She trudged further down the hall; avoiding her room for a minute to stand before a third door on the left. She stared at it as she placed a hand on the cold wood, tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

“Oh Rhett… I wonder how the Specialists are treating you. It’s been five years since you left and a year since you graduated. You only sent one letter telling mom and dad that you had already been sponsored and sent away to another country. I can’t help but wonder at all the things you see every day.” She whispered at the blank door before turning away to the small bathroom across the hall from Rhett’s room.

Quickly and quietly she brushed her teeth, washed her face and opened the connecting door to her room to change and slide into her bed only to find out that her bed was already occupied by a tall lanky figure with brown tussled hair and a soft snore. Malisa shook her head and stared down at the sleeping form of her brother Delmar. She gently ran her fingers through his baby soft hair and nudged him softly to get him to move over without waking him or so she thought.

“Mali?” He wiggled over to make room for her. “What time is it? Did you just finish your studies with Dad?”

She kissed his forehead and climbed in beside him as she chuckled, “It’s late Del, and aren’t you too old to be cuddling with your older sister?” He laughed and pulled her in for a hug.

“Never too old, sis” He replied with a yawn. He leaned up on one arm and glanced at her before lying back down. “Do you think…The Academy truly wants someone like me?” Malisa blinked as she barely caught the whispered words.

“How could they not when you’re already incredibly talented? You’re seventeen and they’ve already recruited you! You’re lucky to have so much talent and control over your abilities.” She fell silent while she mulled over her own lack of abilities. Delmar nudged her out of her musings as he quietly reprimanded her, “Don’t doubt yourself so much sis; you do have talent. It’s there; you just have to see it for yourself too.”

He turned over before she could reply. What could she possibly possess that would allow her to enter any of the Academies? She had no magical capabilities like Delmar or any kind of special combat ability like Rhett. The only thing she had was a large tactical knowledge and a love for strategies within wars and other conflicts but that wasn’t enough to be noticed. Unhappy with her own thoughts she closed her eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.