Looking out from the dock, all I could see was the vast ocean as its waves slowly moved back and forth. Ice glaciers and small fishing boats hauling in the days’ worth of herrings and mackerels could be seen in the far horizon. Small flecks of snow slowly drifted down all around me, and my white, shining hair slowly blew in the frigid breeze.
I knew that somewhere out there, the magical and forest covered lands of Dedria lay in the West, and the tropical beaches and deserts of Bliyath sat in the far South. All my life, all I’d ever wanted to do was escape the frozen, mountainous continent of Trastruan and learn how to harness my frost magic at the Dedrian Academy of Magic. All teenagers who were sixteen, which I was, were supposed to attend in order to learn more about magic. But of course, father would never let me leave on my own.
Sitting there bored, I started shooting bits of frost into the ocean from my fingertips, bitterly trying to accept the fact that I would most likely be stuck here for years- maybe even decades.
“Maeve, we have to head back to the house! I need to get the fire started,” father shouted from the other end of the dock. My father was a tall, large guy, built for carrying huge loads of fish everyday. He had white hair too, and a huge, white beard that covered his entire chin.
“Okay, coming!” Sighing, I stopped my mourning of my lost future and started to walk back across the dock.
“Maeve c’mon, you can’t take forever,” My father yelled once more. Ever since mother and my two sisters, Aella and Freya, passed away a couple months ago due to the cold, father has been more worried about keeping the house warm. Father also insists on me staying by his side at all times, which means that I’m forbidden to cross the ocean to follow my dreams.
After I stepped off the dock, we began our trek through the snow drifts back to our small, wooden cabin located on top of a snowy hill. Even though I want to leave Trastruan, I would miss the graceful, snowy mountains, and the peaceful sound of the frigid waves. But the fact that it was this frigid and snowing all year round annoyed me endlessly.
I opened the wooden front door of our cabin and began taking off the huge snow boots I’m forced to wear everyday.
“Maeve, make sure you don’t take off your winter gear yet until I start a fire. I don’t want you to get cold,” My father said sternly, as his huge frame began to shuffle over to the fireplace. Lighting a match, he threw it onto the logs and began closing the curtains, as if he could shut out the coldness of the snow outside.
“Father, I’m barely cold anymore since you bought all this winter gear. Trust me, I’ll be fine.” I replied. As I began to walk down the hall to my room, I could hear my father sigh sadly. A pang of sadness bloomed across my chest, because I knew that my father never got time to mourn. While I was mourning, all he did was bury himself in catching and loading fish and trying to keep me safe.
I opened the door to my room, where a twin bed and rug sat. My room was quite bland, as it was all my father could afford. Memories of two other twin beds crossed my mind, but I quickly stopped thinking about it in order to avoid any memories of my sisters.
I went to my bedside table and lit the candle, and flopped down on my bed, sighing with exhaustion. I slowly began taking off the absurd amount of layers of winter clothing, and then waited until father announced that it was dinner time.
Around a half hour later, I could hear my father’s shout echo through the hallway, announcing that dinner was ready. I pulled myself out of my bundle of blankets and made my way down the hall, taking a seat at the dinner table that only had two chairs now. Father sets down two plates, both featuring a steaming fish in the middle and vegetable dumplings on the side.
“This looks tasty, father,” I said, as I eagerly grabbed my fork.
“Thank you, Maeve. We mustn’t eat yet, we have to give our thanks to Egeyar first,” father said sternly.
“Oh yes, sorry,” I set my fork down, and together we thanked Egeyar for the possession of our powers and unique abilities that help us live our best lives. Of course, father’s power of brute strength helped him immensely in his everyday work.
After our thanks, we dug into the fish and dumplings. Ever since my mother’s passing, father has always tried to replicate her cooking to make sure that I was still fed properly. Over time I’ve noticed how much his cooking has improved.
Once dinner was over, I washed the dishes and started heading back to my room.
“Remember Maeve, we have to wake up early tomorrow to load the fish boat that goes to Dedria! Good night.” Father shouted as I made my way to my room.
After flopping down onto my bed once more, a tiny thought slipped across my mind. What if I snuck onto that ship and went to Dedria? I know father would be furious if I attempted to, but if I never try to leave then what if I never can? I’m sixteen now, I should be able to see the world.
Deep in thought, I slowly started to fall asleep, warm from the heaps of blankets laid on top of me.
~*~*~*
sigh sadly. A pang of sadness bloomed across my chest, because I knew that my father never got time to mourn. While I was mourning, all he did was bury himself in catching and loading fish and trying to keep me safe.
I opened the door to my room, where a twin bed and rug sat. My room was quite bland, as it was all my father could afford. Memories of two other twin beds crossed my mind, but I quickly stopped thinking about it in order to avoid any memories of my sisters.
I went to my bedside table and lit the candle, and flopped down on my bed, sighing with exhaustion. I slowly began taking off the absurd amount of layers of winter clothing, and then waited until father announced that it was dinner time.
Around a half hour later, I could hear my father’s shout echo through the hallway, announcing that dinner was ready. I pulled myself out of my bundle of blankets and made my way down the hall, taking a seat at the dinner table that only had two chairs now. Father sets down two plates, both featuring a steaming fish in the middle and vegetable dumplings on the side.
“This looks tasty, father,” I said, as I eagerly grabbed my fork.
“Thank you, Maeve. We mustn’t eat yet, we have to give our thanks to Egeyar first,” father said sternly.
“Oh yes, sorry,” I set my fork down, and together we thanked Egeyar for the possession of our powers and unique abilities that help us live our best lives. Of course, father’s power of brute strength helped him immensely in his everyday work.
After our thanks, we dug into the fish and dumplings. Ever since my mother’s passing, father has always tried to replicate her cooking to make sure that I was still fed properly. Over time I’ve noticed how much his cooking has improved.
Once dinner was over, I washed the dishes and started heading back to my room.
“Remember Maeve, we have to wake up early tomorrow to load the fish boat that goes to Dedria! Good night.” Father shouted as I made my way to my room.
After flopping down onto my bed once more, a tiny thought slipped across my mind. What if I snuck onto that ship and went to Dedria? I know father would be furious if I attempted to, but if I never try to leave then what if I never can? I’m sixteen now, I should be able to see the world.
Deep in thought, I slowly started to fall asleep, warm from the heaps of blankets laid on top of me.
~*~*~*
“Maeve!” I jerked awake, sitting straight up as I heard my father’s shout. “Get your winter gear on, we have crates of mackerels to load.”
After slipping on my winter gear, I followed father outside, where snow steadily continued to fall. Hauling bags of mackerels down the icy hill, the tiny voice in my head from last night seemed to be getting louder.
Escape, escape, escape.
Father and I arrived at the docks and promptly started to pour our fish into the crates, which were getting ready to be loaded on the ship, DSM Jewel.
“Maeve, I have to grab some other bags. You can stay on the docks if you want, but be careful.” Father said sternly.
“Okay, I’ll be careful!” I hastily replied back, a sting of guilt piercing my chest. This was the perfect opportunity to escape, but my father would be so angry and worried about my safety.
Father’s tall frame lumbered down the dock, and I began to quickly walk towards DSM Jewel. It was almost as if I could hear it calling my name, with promises of adventure and magic. I climbed aboard once the workers weren’t looking, and sprinted to the other end, hiding behind barrels of fish.
This was where my journey would begin. I was finally going to learn how to make my frost magic more powerful, and explore worlds I’ve never been to before.
I was going to the Dedrian Academy of Magic.
Part 2
Through the small porthole of the lower deck, shafts of light from the setting sun shone through. The distant cawing of seagulls could be heard, and the DSM Jewel came to a complete stop, sending me flying forward.
“Omph!” I sat up, and quickly ran to the door. If I sprinted off of the ship, then no one could stop me. There was no going back now.
I hastily opened the door, darting past confused sailors and hopping onto the dock with a creak. My heart pounding from the adrenaline, I sprinted down the dock towards the small town ahead.
The small port town of Jewelville was quite cozy. The cobblestone streets, warm lit lanterns, wooden homes and shops, and bustling crowds created a magical ambiance, as if the town was guiding me towards the Dedrian Academy of Magic.
As I stepped foot off of the docks, I spotted a map on the wall, showing that the academy was located near the capital of Dedria, Liagate. Thinking quickly, I weaved through the crowds and found a wagon, its logo proudly displaying Liagate’s Exotic Mackerels. As the horse drawn wagon began to roll away, I quickly jumped aboard, laying down so the driver couldn’t see the extra passenger.
Sighing in relief and exhaustion, and rolled over on my back, observing the moving clouds in the endless, pink sky as the wagon briskly rolled down the road ahead.
~*~*~*
The city of Liagate was impossible to miss. With its towering glass buildings covered in lush vegetation and colorful pathways sprawling in crowds and carriages, the capital reeked in luxury and the promise of magic. Before the wagon could roll further into the city, I hopped off and quickly found an advertisement for the academy, stating that it was just a bit north from where I was.
Excitedly, I started down a crystal-like road, enchanted by the magical ambience of Liagate and its people. The people of the capital were dressed in long cloaks, proudly displaying their wealth.Some used their power to float effortlessly through crowds, weaving through with shopping bags and goodies. Smells of freshly baked pies wafted through the streets, and little pixies could be seen zooming around, doing chores for their owners and giggling with one another.
After walking for about an hour, I finally arrived at the Dedrian Academy of Magic. The mystical building of the academy was breathtaking- with large, marble pillars and tinted glass-like walls, surges of magic seemed to flow through me. Large, moving vines wove endlessly around the academy, with white flowers blooming as the seconds ticked by. Around the academy, elegant cedar trees lined the glowing cobblestone road leading to the front entrance.
Taking a deep breath, I dusted off my thick, brown fur coat, stepping foot onto the glowing pathway. I slowly walked to the grand door of the academy, which was tall and made of detailed wood. Once I stood before it, the door magically opened by itself, revealing the front desk and a stern, elderly woman behind it. The foyer was quite extraordinary, and featured vaulted ceilings, gold lined paneled walls, detailed with wooden floors.
“Excuse me, I was hoping to enroll here at the academy,” I said eagerly, walking up to the woman.
The woman slowly stopped typing on her typewriter, looking up from her narrow spectacles and eyeing me up and down. “Please call me Miss, child. You will need a down payment of five hundred pels and complete the Academia Test of Magic in order to be accepted into this prestigious academy,”
Waves of embarrassment and disappointment began to wash over me. “Oh-er, okay. Can I come back later and pay?”
Narrowing her eyes, the woman responded, “Yes, you may. Maybe take some etiquette and manners classes while you’re at it, as well. If you’re going to survive attending the academy, you’ll need them.” She then continued to work on her typewriter, clicking away without a care in the world and ignoring my presence.
“I’m sorry, I’ll leave now.” I hastily darted out of the foyer, trying to come up with a good plan on how to get five hundred pels. It wasn’t impossible, but I’d definitely need a good month of working before I’d earn enough money. First, I’d need to find a place to sleep for the night before setting off to look for a job.
As the sun began to set, I found myself walking through a small town not far from the academy. I turned down an alleyway, and suddenly got the chills. The alleyway was dark and cold, but I continued down it in hopes of finding a small, cheap hotel to stay at.
Suddenly, the world went dark as a fabric was thrown over my eyes. The dark laughs of two men could be heard around me, and waves of panic went through my body as I attempted to scream for help. The fabric didn’t just cover my eyes; it was instead a cloth bag, big enough to fit me inside it.
“This one definitely has some great magic, boss,” one of the men said, laughing.
“Oh yes, I can see it within her. She’ll do just fine for the part,” another man responded, sounding pleased with himself.
Before I could think about the meaning behind their remarks, I was tossed into the back of a wagon, hitting my head against the firm wood. The world turned into nothingness.
~*~*~*
The sound of metal rattling and horse hooves hitting dirt path jolted me awake, my eyelids flying open. The two men from last night sat in the front of the wagon, wearing black cloaks and fast asleep. The bright, full moon shone in the center of the sky, and for miles all I could see was a vast meadow and hilly terrain. Beside me, a girl around the same age as me with tan skin, brown hair, and cut marks laid beside me. She appeared to be captured as well, as she was just as chained up as me.
A pang of regret and guilt spread through me. My father was probably looking high and low for me, extremely saddened and worried about where I disappeared to. Or worse, he knew that I went to the mainland and was furious with me, and would never allow me to return home. I gave up the safety of a home, all to be kidnapped by two strange men in black cloaks, who planned to use my magic in some way.
Suddenly, the girl’s eyes opened, and she slowly sat up and glared at me.
“What’s your name?” I whispered.
After a few moments of her glaring at me, she responded, “My name is Nyssa Silverblade. What’s yours?”
“Maeve Winterfell,”
Nyssa paused. Sighing, she whispered, “I was captured after they found me practicing my forest magic in the woods. We gotta get out of here before they take us any further. What magic do you have?”
“I have frost magic,” I responded, horrified by the thought of being carried further away from home.
“Okay, great. Freeze the locks and we can escape!”
Sighing and closing my eyes, I began to harness my power, focusing on summoning its magic with the strength to break the metal locks. After a few seconds, the locks snapped, and I opened my eyes to find Nyssa staring weirdly at me.
Shaking her head, she motioned for me to free her from her chains. After breaking both of our chains, I slowly froze the lock of the cage that contained us, allowing us to break free.
We quietly hopped off of the wagon, sneaking hastily away from the cloaked men sleeping in the front seats. Once being far enough away, Nyssa and I broke into a sprint, running as far away as our legs could take us. After we had fully exhausted ourselves, we sat against a sprawling oak tree, gasping for air as the moon shone brightly down upon us.
Minutes of silence ticked by. “Those men were the Black Cloaks, by the way. They capture young people with unique magic abilities, hoping to create an army to take down every country’s government and rule the world,” Nyssa explained, breaking the silence.
“Oh. Well, I don’t have any unique abilities, so they must’ve mistaken me for someone else,”
Nyssa narrowed her eyes, studying my face as if I was hiding something from her. “We need to get you to the Dedrian Academy of Magic. You should definitely learn more about your power,” sighing, she continued. “I also need to go to the academy. I have a lot to learn.”
Standing up, she offered her hand to help me up. “Listen, I think that we should stick together and both go to the academy,” Looking at her hand offering to help me up, I smiled, knowing that I had made my first friend.
Taking both her hand and offer, I confidently replied, “Deal. Let’s go to the academy together.”
Part 3
“I can’t believe we’ve finally done it!” Nyssa exclaimed, as she quickly pulled on her crystal blue jacket and black plaid skirt. The white emblem of the academy was shown proudly on the back of the jacket.
“Yeah, I know! These academy uniforms are so nice, too. I never thought that we’d be able to get five hundred pels so quickly.” I responded, also slipping on my uniform.
After we finished getting on our uniforms, we went through the large archway of the Academy of Dedria’s locker room, eagerly walking to the center courtyard of the school. In the courtyard, a huge fountain was featured in the middle, with sprinklers shooting out different shapes and colors. Cedar trees lined the edges of the lawn, with flowers blooming and bushes flourishing in all corners. A middle aged woman began to walk towards me and Nyssa, holding papers and a set of keys in her hands.
“Girls, my name is Professor Litwick. Your first class will be Battle Strategy in room D23, your second class History of Magic in D40, your third class Combat Skills in D12, and your fourth class Magic Wielding in D1. After your second class you may go to the cafeteria for lunch, and at 5:30 sharp dinner will be served in the Grand Dining Hall. Oh, and here are your dorm keys- you’ll be sharing a room. If you have any questions, you can ask Ms. Oakweld at the front desk in the foyer.” Professor Litwick quickly stashed the papers and keys in our hands, briskly walking away with her head held high.
“Well,” Nyssa sighed, as she stared wide eyed at the huge amount of information thrown in our faces. “I guess we should make our way to…Battle Strategy in room D23.”
“I guess so!” I responded excitedly.
~*~*~*
A couple weeks had passed since our first day at the Dedrian Academy of Magic. Classes passed by in a blur, and the professors constantly emphasized the importance of combat ever since the increased uprisingings of Black Cloak activity.
“All right class, today we’ll be talking about the Battle of Trastruan, which took place during The Great Magic War…” Professor Lightbody, the History of Magic teacher, began. From beside me, Nyssa rolled her eyes, pouting as she tried to force herself to focus on the mumbling old man in front of the lecture hall.
After about half an hour of listening to the professor, in the corner of my eye I spotted one of my classmates, Astra, darting her eyes back and forth, like making sure no one was watching. Astra then created various motions with her hands, and wrote something down on a piece of paper in front of her.
“Psst…Nyssa, look at what Astra’s doing,” I turned around and whispered. Nyssa suddenly jumped up, startled from taking a nap.
“Huh?” Nyssa snorted.
“Excuse me, ladies. No interruptions during class please,” Professor Lightbody said, peering up at us through his spectacles.
I rolled my eyes. I’d have to tell her after class.
After class had ended, me and Nyssa began our walk to the cafeteria. I quickly explained what I saw, and Astra’s suspicious activity.
“Hmm, that is very odd. We’re not allowed to practice magic on campus if we’re not in Magic Wielding class. Maybe she was doing something she wasn’t supposed to do?” Nyssa questioned.
“Perhaps…We could keep an eye on her. Maybe if we catch her doing something against the rules we’ll be rewarded,” I said, deep in thought.
“Great idea. We need all the extra support we can get if I’m going to survive this death trap of a school,” Nyssa moaned, dramatically throwing her hands up in the air.
“Oh c’mon, the academy isn’t that bad!” I responded, laughing at her theatrics.
~*~*~*
That night, me and Nyssa were sitting by the bay window of our dormitory room, looking at the night sky and relaxing. The moon cast bright beams of light through our window, and the river surrounding the academy was slowly flowing below. Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly spotted a flicker of movement from below. The small figure of Astra in the signature Black Cloak attire could be seen, briskly walking towards the exit gate of the academy.
“Oh my gosh, Nyssa look. Astra’s heading towards the exit and she’s wearing Black Cloak clothing!” I exclaimed, hurriedly walking towards the door.
Nyssa gasped. “She’s probably working with the Black Cloaks! Let’s stop her,”
Together, we both hurried out of our dormitory door, hoping to not get caught because it was past curfew. I spotted Astra close ahead, going down into a crouch to avoid being seen.
Astra raised up her hands, using her wind powers to unlock the gate door. After looking around, she quickly opened the gate and snuck out of the academy. Turning behind me, I held up a finger to my mouth to signal Nyssa to be quiet, and began to sneak out of the academy behind Astra.
Astra then walked out of the academy’s eyeshot into a clearing on the edge of the forest. Following behind, me and Nyssa hid in a nearby bush, waiting for what was going to happen next.
After a couple moments, five other cloaked individuals walked out from the forest, all wearing Black Cloak clothing. From our hiding spot, I could faintly hear parts of their conversation as they conversed with Astra,
“Our invasion of the academy will go well. Here’s the plan, we have to…”
“Yes, they stand no chance. The book with the destruction spell has to be here, and then we can take over the continents…”
“We just have to make sure to…”
My heart sank to my stomach. The Black Cloaks were going to attack the academy, and search for a magical spell book with the spells containing the key to taking over the world. We had to stop them, but me and Nyssa were hopelessly outnumbered and inexperienced compared to the six Black Cloak members. But we could come up with a plan to distract them.
“Nyssa,” I whispered, turning to my terrified friend. “We need to make a plan and do something,”
Nyssa quickly nodded, wide-eyed with fear.
“Here’s the plan- I can lure them into the forest to delay the attack. You can head back into the academy to alert Head Professor Nightshade. You just have to hurry, because I don’t know how long I can keep them distracted for.” I quickly explained.
“Okay, okay. I’ll try my best. Be careful,” Nyssa whispered back, quickly turning around and making her way back to the academy.
“Here goes nothing,” I whispered to myself, terrified of what I was getting myself into. I quickly sat up from my crouching position behind the bush, sprinting towards the forest and not bothering to be quiet. Loud snaps and pounding of my footsteps could be clearly heard; I needed to get their attention.
“What is that?” a cloaked man whispered, looking around. The man narrowed his eyes, spotting me running towards the forest. “Follow that girl!” All six Black Cloak members whipped their heads towards me, beginning to run after me in pursuit.
Sprinting and weaving through the trees, I began to panic. I couldn’t run forever; how was I going to lose them? Gasping for air, I continued to run as fast as I could through bushes, vines, and rocks. Behind me, I could hear the Black Cloaks getting closer- their foot falls beginning to sound louder and louder.
“Aha!” A cloaked woman yelled in success, grabbing my ankle and sending me tumbling down onto my face. The woman threw a net on top of me, trapping me on the grass while still gasping for air. “You didn’t think you’d get away that easily, did ya?”
I looked up, glaring at the woman standing above me. The five other Black Cloak members circled around, including Astra.
“Huh, you’ve escaped from one of our wagons before, haven’t you? I remember hearing other members talk about a girl like you with your capabilities…” The man from earlier studied me, narrowing his eyes.
All hope seemed to be lost. They were going to capture me once again, and Nyssa was nowhere to be found. My power was at risk of being used as a weapon to destroy the land I loved.
Part 4
Suddenly, a large net was thrown on top of me. I struggled like a fish out of water, trying to get out of the captivity of the net, but gave up when realizing that it was no use.
“This will keep you contained,” a man, likely the leader of the Black Cloaks, said with an evil smile plastered on his face. “It’s magic proof- so good luck escaping this time.”
My heart sank to my stomach. There was no hope. The moon shone brightly through the tangled branches of the surrounding forest, as if trying to comfort me in my time of distress. It was most likely around midnight, and I was out in the middle of nowhere with no sign of being rescued.
There was a distant rustling through the bushes deep within the forest. At first, I thought it could’ve been an animal, running free through the trees. However, the rustling became louder and louder, until it caught the attention of the six Black Cloak members as well.
Suddenly, the rustling stopped, and Nyssa, Head Professor Nightshade, and Ms. Oakweld from the front desk in the foyer appeared in the clearing where I was held captive. Head Professor Nightshade raised her right hand, casting a powerful blow of wind that threw the magic net off of me. I sprinted over to them, hugging Nyssa tightly to show my gratitude.
“Fancy seeing you here, Azazel. I would’ve thought that by now you would’ve given up on taking over the world with your pathetic Black Cloaks,” Head Professor Nightshade said cooly, projecting her voice across the clearing with authority.
“Well, Nerissa, I was never one for giving up,” Azazel, the leader of the Black Cloaks responded. “Plus, taking over the world is easy enough for me to do with my army and with the help of that…girl you’ve just freed.”
Head Professor Nightshade glared at Azazel, shifting her eyes over to Ms. Oakweld.
“You two better be prepared to fight,” Ms. Oakweld said, picking off a leaf that had gotten on her robes and brushing off the dust from the journey. “And try not to die or get captured. That would be largely inconvenient.”
Suddenly, Azazel made a forward motion with his hand, and the scene in front of me erupted into chaos. The Black Cloaks surged toward us, sending spells surging our direction. Ms. Oakweld quickly raised her hands, creating a sphere of protection that hung above our heads. Head Professor Nightshade worked with Ms. Oakweld, casting spells in order to weaken the incoming Black Cloaks.
“Nyssa! Let’s work together to get those two, c’mon!” I yelled, trying to find a way to help hold off the six enemies. Me and Nyssa ran out of the protection of the magical sphere, preparing to face off against two Black Cloaks that didn’t look confident in their abilities.
I raised up my hands, summoning icicles from the ground beneath the two Black Cloaks. Nyssa, using her nature powers, created a flurry of razor sharp leaves, all aiming directly at the two enemies standing in front of us.
Overwhelmed by the sudden spells cast against them, the two inexperienced Black Cloaks clumsily sent rocks flying in our direction, missing terribly. The icicles surrounded them, forcing them to run out of the clearing in order to avoid getting stabbed by them. The razor leaves followed, as if to make sure the Black Cloaks wouldn’t try to turn around and continue the battle.
“Wow, that was pretty easy,” Nyssa said proudly, standing confidently with her hands on her hips. “The academy has definitely improved our combat skills.”
Smiling, I responded, “Yeah, it sure has.”
Me and Nyssa then turned around, quickly remembering how there were still four Black Cloak members remaining. We ran to stand beside Ms. Oakweld and Head Professor Nightshade, casting spells together in order to try to hold them back.
“I have a plan!” Head Professor Nightshade yelled over the noise of spells hurling back and forth. “If we combine our magic, we can cast Exponentia Fusione and get these Black Cloaks gone for good!”
“Excellent idea, Professor,” Ms. Oakweld yelled back. “Ladies, come here. We must combine our magic, and I will cast it upon those four Black Cloaks over there!”
Together, me and Nyssa quickly ran to gather beside Ms. Oakweld and Head Professor Nightshade. We all cast our magic in the center of our circle, fusing frost, nature, sun, and moon together to create a spell that would send the Black Cloaks to surrender.
Gathering the huge mass of glowing color, Ms. Oakweld raised her hands above her hand, making a face of pure concentration. Black Cloaks desperately cast spells, attempting to stop the spell from being cast, but we deflected them quickly in order to protect Ms. Oakweld. Exponentia Fusione was then sent hurling towards the four members, growing larger and larger as it got closer to them. A huge explosion erupted once it hit the ground, sending colors, leaves, frost, and light flying through the forest clearing.
Once the explosion died down, the four Black Cloaks were laying on the ground, shocked at the size of the spell. Still frazzled, they quickly got up, running into the forest in surrender. Before they completely disappeared into the forest, Astra turned around, glaring at the four of us standing there, out of breath.
“This won’t be the last of me!” Astra yelled, anger rolling off of her in waves. “I’ll come back, better than I ever was, and defeat you once and for all!” After a final glare, Astra turned around, her black cloak billowing behind her, and ran into the forest to join her allies in defeat.
Standing there, out of breath, relief washed over me. I turned around, hugging Nyssa in excitement.
“We did it!” I exclaimed, jumping up and down while still hugging her. “We actually did it!”
“I know, I know!” She squealed back, also jumping up and down.
Turning my head over my shoulder, I could see Head Professor Nightshade standing and smiling at me and Nyssa. After me and Nyssa were done celebrating from our first successful battle, we walked over to the head professor and Ms. Oakweld, arm in arm.
“Girls, you did a wonderful job today. I was very impressed with how far you’ve come with your combat skills,” Head Professor Nightshade started, smiling warmly. “And so I’ve decided to reward you with free tuition for the remaining three years of your education at the Dedrian Academy of Magic. On top of that, tomorrow I would be honored to hold a ceremony in order to give you two the Honor of Excellentia, an honor that only few get awarded with after making a big impact on the school.”
Ms. Oakweld nodded. “You ladies must be proud of yourselves. You saved the academy from an invasion that could’ve been detrimental to the welfare of both the students and the staff.”
Grinning ear to ear, I turned to Nyssa who was doing the same. Not only had we received free tuition and the promise of getting the Honor of Excellentia, but we had earned Ms. Oakweld’s rare praise. Walking home that night back to the academy, I felt extremely pleased with myself and the newfound confidence that began to wash over me. But a part of me felt missing. Somewhere in Trastruan, my father was there, probably accepting the fact that he may never hear from me again, his only daughter left.
~*~*
1 month later.
It was finally spring break, and the sun was already beaming down upon the academy. Flowers had begun to bloom, filling the courtyard with color and the promise of life. The soft sound of the buzzing bees was carried through the light breeze, making the day feel as if it was even more relaxing than before.
School had been going great. After receiving the Honor of Excellentia, me and Nyssa were some of the most popular students at the academy. People thanked us as we walked through the hallways, saying we saved their lives. Really, I thought that they were being dramatic, but I guess in a sense they were right.
Me and Nyssa were laying down on beach towels splayed across the fresh grass of the courtyard, nestled between the dormitory buildings. As I layed there in the sun reading a book, I couldn’t help but worry about my dad and my dwindling relationship with him. I sent him a letter after the attack by the Black Cloaks, and I still hadn’t received a response. Was he ignoring me on purpose? Or worse, what if something happened to him and his own daughter knew nothing of it?
“I swear that if I don’t get a good tan after this I’m going to be so mad,” Nyssa complained, pouting. “I need to have a good tan for the Spring Bling dance coming up. I wonder if I could get a date to the dance. Oh, and I need something to wear…probably something floral. What do you think you’re going to wear?”
After a moment of silence, she sat up, taking off her glasses. “You are going to the Spring Bling right?”
“What?” I asked, still deep in thought.
“Were you listening to anything I just said?” Nyssa said, groaning.
I looked down, sighing. “No, I’m sorry,”
“Hey what’s wrong? I’ve been noticing that you’ve been quieter these past couple weeks,”
“It’s just my dad,” I started, looking up at Nyssa. “Ever since I’ve sent that letter, I haven’t gotten a response yet. And it’s been like, a month. What if he hates me?”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Nyssa said sympathetically, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure that it takes a while to get a letter all the way to Trastruan. And sending one back takes just as long. He wouldn’t just ghost you; you’re his daughter, and he cared for you,” she laid down on her towel once more, slipping her sunglasses back on. “Trust me, you’ll get a response.”
“Yeah…you’re probably right.” I agreed, feeling comforted by my best friend’s words.
“Of course I am! Now lay down and get tan for the dance.” She insisted, grabbing my arm and forcing me to fall onto the towel.
“I will, I will!” I giggled, taking a deep breath. My father would write back soon. Hopefully.
~*~*
The night air lightly blew through my window, with the gentle croaking of frogs echoing throughout the forest surrounding the academy. Nyssa was gently snoring, and I was laying on my bed, struggling to fall asleep.
Sitting up, I slipped on my slippers and put on my coat. I walked through our dorm’s front door, despite the curfew being 9pm. It was about 11pm, but at this point I didn’t care. I quickly walked across the sidewalk around the courtyard, making a beeline for the front foyer. I knew Ms. Oakweld was still awake; she seemed to work all hours of the night.
Slipping through the door into the foyer, I walked over to the desk where Ms. Oakweld sat, typing away on her computer.
“Oh, Ms. Maeve,” Ms. Oakweld said with a disappointed tone, not looking up from the screen. “Do you need something?”
“Yes, I was wondering if you had any mail addressed to me,” I said hopefully.
Ms. Oakweld finally looked up from her computer screen, sighing. “Despite your constant asking in the past, yes, there is a letter for you,” She rolled her chair back, standing up and walking over to a filing cabinet. She grabbed a letter out from a file, handing it to me. “Here you go. I hope it contains all of your hopes and dreams.” The tapping and clicking of the keyboard continued soon after.
With the letter in hand, I eagerly sat down at a nearby table, hands trembling. The letter was from Trastruan, and from the small fishing town I used to live in. I precariously opened the envelope, a thrill running through me once I saw the words, My dearest daughter, written across the top of it.
My dearest daughter,
I’ve probably read your letter about a thousand times, trying to think of what to say. I wasn’t angry with you when you disappeared; I instantly knew that you had boarded that ship in order to escape to Dedria. I was holding you back- I know that now. It was just hard to accept that I needed to let you go, because I never wanted to let anyone go again.
I’m so happy and relieved to hear that you’re safe and at the Dedrian Academy of Magic. You were featured in the Avrora Times, in your own column, for receiving the Honor of Excellentia. Your mother would’ve been proud. She had the spirit that you have now, always wanting to face off against the thrill of adventure.
Things have been going well here. I got a dog to keep me company- made a couple friends. I’m just glad you’re okay. If you ever want to return to Trastruan for a short period of time I’d be happy to let you stay here. Your friend, Nyssa, could come along as well. If anything comes up, I’d be happy to help- just write to me anytime you please. I hope I get to see you soon, Maeve.
Love,
Dad
Ms. Oakweld probably thought I had gone insane, as I was sitting there with tears running down my cheeks, softly laughing in relief as I was reading the letter. But let her think I was insane; all that mattered was that my father was okay- and he never hated me one bit.
The letter gave me a sense of courage I had never felt before. I could do anything I set my mind to. I had great people around me that would support me no matter what came my way.
And so from there on out, I decided on a goal I wanted to viciously uphold: I would become one of the most powerful spellcasters in Avrora history, and save its people from the Black Cloaks by destroying them once and for all.
