“But need alone is not enough to set power free: there must be knowledge.”
- Ursula K. Le Guin, A Wizard of Earthsea
The next days passed as a blur. Alea kept mostly to her room, Mireille and Alyssa got on with the classes and training. Alyssa relied on Asandria for instructions and the use of her orb.
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And then it was Wednesday.
The sky was gray and the clouds hung low, but it was not raining, not yet at least. It was quite windy too and Alyssa and Mireille had to brace against the sudden gusts while navigating their way to the main building.
“I hope it gets better for your duel.” Mireille lowered her head and looked into Alyssa’s face from beneath.
“Stop that. I am okay.”
“Just checking.”
“Good morning.” Vivienne and Valens hurried up to them as they entered the building.
“Mornin’” Mireille yawned. “It's still too early. There was a girl that told me that you learn best when properly rested. I would like to explore that!”
“Don’t you dare! If you fail your courses and are expelled, Alea and I will be very sad indeed.”
Mireille looked a bit smug at that.
“And there might be another person forced on us in the dorm.”
Mireille smiled wryly.
Vivienne giggled.
Alyssa held her stomach which was hurting since yesterday. Hopefully, all will be well. Do I use all I have? If I use all and hurt him badly will that be another strike against me? Thoughts circled in her head until Mireille pulled her over and hugged her.
“Don’t think about it, there is nothing more you can do!”
Yesterday Alberich had confirmed with them the choice of weapons. ‘Magic and magical tools like wands and staves...or orbs...and nothing else.’
Vivienne looked at them with an unreadable expression on her face. Her brother raised his hand and then let it fall again. As sociable as she was, she did not like to be touched, doing the touching was something else of course.
It was always about control. He sighed.
Mr. Glames was busily preparing for the lesson as they entered. As all were seated he clapped his hands. “Welcome to Theory and History of Magic. I only wanted to announce the date for the first test, it will be the start of the week after next. Please be prepared. There will be around six tests this semester, and if you fail more than half it will probably mean expulsion. Scoring low will be grounds for remedial lessons which will occur on Saturday. If more people fail at the academics section, which was added last week, it will take all of Saturday- So please work hard!”
The rest of the lesson passed more or less the same as always, more people seemed attentive though.
Alyssa did not have an appetite and forced herself to eat some bread.
After finishing the afternoon lessons she hurried towards the dueling field.
There were a lot of students already assembled. She even spotted Reneus Flammensiegel. Alberich and Maximilian were talking beside a large graveled patch that would be the location for the duel.
She nearly would have overlooked Alea as the small girl was partially hidden behind her brother. Mireille was tapping her foot and keeping a lookout, she waved as she saw Alyssa jogging onto the field.
Her opponent was already waiting, a smug grin on his face. Melissa stood beside him, head lowered. Leonhard Poroskar stood a small distance away, arms folded over his breast. Vivienne and her brother were near Alea, shielding her from the crowd.
Carl von Margrinar and Tervellin Gold stood near each other the former looked uncomfortable while the latter did not seem to have a single care in this world.
Alberich called out to her “There you are, come over here. I will now explain and then we should start. Dinner is not going to eat itself!”
Some students groaned at that.
Maximilian cuffed him on the shoulder and said something that was drowned out by the chatter of the spectators.
The ring of gravel looked to be very large and the atmosphere was stifling. Alyssa hugged herself and tried to regulate her breathing. Her stomach ached incessantly and sweat beaded on her brow and dampened the back of her shirt.
Asandria stroked her hair, ‘Don't let it get to you. Being nervous is good for it can sharpen the senses, but being too nervous might make you freeze. Calm down.’
Alberich spoke a word and a loud crack could be heard. The chatter ceased. “Do I have everyone's attention? Yes? Thank you! So, this is a duel until incapacitation. Weapons are magic and magical tools, no other weapons or aid allowed. We follow the code duello Carvenbright.”
He looked towards the two contestants. “I don’t think you might have thought this through some more and come to the conclusion that love and friendship should prevail? No?”
A bit of laughter followed that declaration.
Alyssa shook her head.
Otto called out, “No, she has to be put in her place!”
“Then please enter the circle. Professor Flammensiegel?”
Reneus nodded as he was called and went to the steel poles set in certain intervals around the circle and incanted a spell that caused the runes in those posts to glow.
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After he had completed his round he nodded. “We can start when everyone is ready.”
“Professor Reneus?” A young male student approached. “There is a problem in the arboretum. Could you please come with me?”
Reneus looked conflicted then nodded towards Alberich who had paused to wait for him. “I will be back soon. The wards and the elemental are active you can resume.” He then accompanied the student back to the academy.
“So without further ado...kchh.” He sneezed. A student to his right lent him a handkerchief. He used it noisily.
“Could you please, please, be more serious!” A girl standing near looked at him reproachfully.
“So. When the handkerchief- I got a clean one, no problems!- touches the ground we begin.” He raised his hand and let go. The scrap of fabric tumbled with the wind and then it touched the ground. A sudden gust swept it up again, dust swirled over the circle.
Otto shouted a spell and dark grey stone rose from the ground encasing his figure like a second skin. Eyes opened in a face made of granite and lit with a dark brown light.
Alyssa incanted the Second Seal. Asandria with a smile on her face joined her. Cyrus who was with Mireille lent his strength. Energies blazed into the orb held in her left hand while darkness rose from a place of unfathomable distance, an oval of night pressed against the fabric of reality and mist formed, the ground froze, gravel cracked. A grinding sound more felt than heard groaned out of the black.
She then raised her hands and chanted the words for the void missile.
Meanwhile, Otto had not been idle, he was taken aback by the dark shield forming between them but soon recovered and stomped towards her. Again he shouted an incantation and splinters of rock the length of his forearm separated from his carapace and shot towards her.
Gravel sprayed from his heavy steps as he gained momentum.
Alyssa looked nervous and raised the orb, silver runes glinted over smoky quartz.
The bolt formed as a dark sphere of black misty energy. It shot forth and curved into the body of the rushing boy. Stone decayed and crumbled. The shards reached the black shield and passed it without problems but afterward, they disintegrated and only dust reached Alyssa.
She spoke a harsh sounding word and vanished appearing in the shadow of a steel pole whose shadow lengthened with the setting sun.
Growling with anger Otto turned and looked for her crashing his fists together and with a boom the earth split, shards of stone and gravel erupted in a jagged line towards her. With a whisper, the shadowed oval appeared before her. The shards raced for her, passed the shield underneath even as some were sheared off, and hit her left leg ripping into and bloodying it.
Hissing with pain she wove another spell and sang, Asandria sang in counterpoint. The quartz in her hand blazed with black light, frost formed on her uniform while an expression of pain marred her features. A bolt of darkness shot forth and impacted Otto halting his advance.
Flesh rotted beneath the splitting stone. A student gagged.
Sparks of blue could be seen coming from his teeth, his jaw, as he bellowed in pain.
Alyssa gestured and another bolt and then another shot forth and destroyed his stone skin further.
A gesture and a shout from Otto split further stone from his mantle.
The wind whipped streams of dust into the air, some students were coughing.
The dark oval swallowed all. Faces could be seen when one looked carefully swimming to the surface of the darkened oblong as if pressed against a dark fabric, straining it. They mouthed words and the eyes opened into darkness.
With another spell gravel exploded with a dull thump from her side avoiding the shield and hit Alyssa, painting lines of blood on her arm and face. Blood leaked from her flank where sharp pieces of stone had embedded themselves in her flesh.
As she was reeling a dark form blocked out the light and Otto crashed into the ground were she had stood, only a quick backstep had saved her from being crushed. Gravel sprayed and the blow grazed her leg causing her to scream.
The white-haired girl stumbled. Wind scattered her dripping blood on the field. Her hearing grew dim and dark shadows encroached her vision as the pain made her go into shock.
She would not lose, not to him, not to her father, not to Christina and her church, not to this boy, not to herself.
Alyssa knew she shouldn't, she had not completely grasped the technique, but she needed to, wanted to WIN.
She concentrated, the gate in her chest opened and she forced her left hand into the oval as she chanted words that hurt the ear. Her arm emerged on the other side coated in lightless black. Asandria's mouth firmed into a smooth line, disapproval written into her expression while white skin crept onto Alyssa's elbow.
Darkness lashed from the seal, lamprey mouths opened on whip-thin tentacles and students all around gasped, some girls screamed.
The appendages latched onto Otto and his face visible beneath the cracked stone paled while he screamed in pain. The flashes of blue intensified. He ripped his arm free.
Again he gathered stone and gravel with a gesture and hurled it like an explosive blast at the still concentrating Alyssa. The darkness swallowed all without a ripple, the faces began to laugh and a dimly visible figure seemed to walk towards the viewer, large or small was irrelevant in a realm of pure black the hands reached for the world. Steel poles activated and a barrier made of light surged into the sky. Some began to glow with heat.
Otto screamed, his left arm was mangled by the devouring mouths. The figure in the darkness raised its head and a single eye gleamed like a fading star. Alyssa fell to her knees, Asandria supported her and whispered something. The tentacles vanished but a last bolt of void energies impacted Otto’s breast and the youth fell heavily, his armor crumbling to dust.
Blood flowed from his mouth and he lay deathly still.
The figure in the darkness looked at Alyssa, at the scene and grim amusement could be felt before the darkness slowly receded. The strain on the poles diminished and the force field dimmed.
Alyssa panted and a sense of vicious triumph helped deaden the pain.“What was that?”
‘A void elemental being, probably a High One, be glad it could not cross over.’ Asandria answered. ‘What is with our boy here. He seems to be…Alyssa help him!’
Alysssa forced herself to her knees and then stumbled getting up. Blood ran from the gashes in her leg, arm and face.
Otto convulsed and blood-tinged with blue leaked from his ears and mouth.
With great effort, she walked towards him. Alberich was saying something, but it was lost in the crackling energies of the force-shield.
The clouds broke and rain began to drench the grounds. Students cursed only barely visible in the downpour.
From afar she heard Alberich call out. "The duel is ended. Alyssa has won. We need a healer!"
The force field shut down.
Alyssa’s hair was plastered to her skull as she reached him. Blood flowed between the pieces of gravel swirling away. Asandria's cold hand on her neck prevented her from thinking further. She sang to the waters of life and they reluctantly answered. Void energies crackled in her orb and through the skin of her left arm.
She lowered her right hand and the rain was lit with sapphire light from within, the drops entered his flesh and began to slowly mend his injuries. She was too busy to ask but in her mind, the question echoed- What had he done?! ....what had she caused?
Otto's eyes opened and they were a pure blue, like a summer sky over a cloudless ocean.
“STOP!” a hand fell heavily on her arm. “The duel is over.”
“I am trying to help him!” Alyssa tried to shrug free but was held fast. An angry student slugged her in the face. She stumbled back, blood running from a split lip.
She tried but could not form an understandable sentence having bitten her tongue.
A small fist wreathed in lightning hit the large boy in the chin and he flipped over crashing to the ground. Mireille looked enraged.
A mage of the academy spread his arms and a bubble of light enlarged rapidly shoving back students and shutting out wind and rain. A woman stood beside him and hastened towards Otto.
She began to cast a healing spell using the light element. Dark hair flecked with gray, pince-nez spectacles despite the hurried motion impeccably placed. A hostile look met Alyssa's questioning gaze.
The mage went over to Alyssa and began to cast a healing spell on her which stopped the bleeding.
"Calvin, help me- the boy is heavily injured."
"You should be more than enough for that, I have to help this poor girl here. Her injuries are not light either."
Out of the rain, a figure walked into the bubble. Magister Illimen brushed rainwater from his robes.
"What happened here?"