Page 29 of Lucent Academy 2: Trinity Awakens
The straw targets had been replaced. I looked at them and realized it should be easy to destroy them if I gathered as much power as I had in my mid-term demonstration.The same amount, I thought,just keep a better hold of your emotions. It's yours to control.It was true, it belonged to me. For better or worse, I was Manaborn, and I should be as familiar with this power inside of me as I was with my own limbs, with my own senses. If I could control my own legs, make them obey my command, why not this?
It was then that I realized I'd only been competing against myself all along. It didn't matter how the other students performed their magic. What mattered was what I did with my own.
I gathered the power within me, scooping like a bucket in a pool of water. Visualizing it like that helped some, and I felt it rise within me. Higher and higher it rose. It felt like there was so much of it. I refused to be intimidated by its size this time. Something was happening in the physical world. I stretched out my hands, and again a perfect sphere of pure fire burned into existence in front of me.
It grew as I watched. It was almost as large as it had been the first time, before I had lost control. This time, I sensed what I needed to do. Casting my will on the fiery sphere, I tore it apart. I exercised my will on it, and it divided into three spheres of equal size. They floated in the air in front of me, perfectly controlled. Three spheres to represent the Trinity. It seemed right.
Using the force of my own magic, I lifted these spheres into the air and brought my hands forward, pushing them, launching them at the straw targets. They blazed through the air, three identical fireballs of destruction, and hit the targets perfectly, destroying all of the straw men.
When it was done, I allowed the spheres to wink out of existence. My chest was heaving. Despite only standing rooted to one spot during the demonstration, it had taken a physical toll on me.
It was only then that I realized the crowd was cheering. They were cheering for me. I felt my cheeks flush. Vaerath came over then, and his blazing eyes were filled with unbridled pride. When he took my face so suddenly in his large, rough hands, I realized he was feeling both pride and lust. He was overjoyed bymy victory as much as I was. He kissed me with a passion he had never dared before, and I understood why Oliver and his Lamia Princess had almost lost control. The crowd fell away as I closed my eyes and melted into that kiss. Our tongues met warm and wet; it was perfect. I kissed Vaerath until he disappeared back to his own realm.
Only then did I open my eyes.
Amber was laughing as she came down from the stands to hug me. Then I turned as Principal Lucius spoke my name. "Congratulations, Miss Wood. I knew you had it in you."
Crystalline stood next to him and beamed warmly at me. Principal Lucius gently took her hand. "Come on, my love. Let's leave the girl so she can celebrate the end of the term with her friends."
The Ice Phoenix seemed disappointed, but she melted into her monster form and then took to the skies. Principal Lucius looked back at me. "She's very proud of you, you know. If I'd let her, she would've talked your ear off, and you probably need time to get ready for the ball."
Amber and I looked at each other. The end-of-term ball! We only had a couple of hours to get ready before it was supposed to start.
We excused ourselves and hurried away as Principal Lucius stared after us, amusement dancing in his eyes.
I felt like I was flying high, as high as the Frost Phoenix. I would only hear next term if I were advancing, but in my own way, I had managed to perform three spells on Iron level. The next level was Steel, and if I wasn't mistaken, Principal Luciushad just informed me in his own subtle way that I would be advancing.
Chapter 16: A Momentous Occasion
When I got back to our room, there was a surprise waiting. A garment bag made from fancy, tissue-like paper had been placed neatly on my bed. There was a card with my name on the front in frilly, gold handwriting.
"Ah, brilliant! And just in time too!" I looked over at Amber, who had a similar bag in her hands. We were sporting identical, goofy grins.
The carefully wrapped package could only be one thing. At the exact same moment, Amber and I tore the paper away excitedly.
Now, as I stood with a dress in my hands that was more beautiful than anything I had ever owned in my life, I realized that Cleopatra's flattery hadn't been mere flattery after all. In a very short time, Lady Lovilla had created the perfect ballgown for me.
It was made of a soft fabric in forest green and black. The bodice was decorated with dustings of green and silver sequins. It looked like stars scattered across a midnight black sky, or raindrops on leaves of evergreen.
Amber's own dress was a creation of burnt orange and crimson, something dramatic with feathers that sparkled like dark fire. Amber was usually so down-to-earth and practical that I would have expected her to be uncomfortable with a dress with so much flair, and yet, it really captured her unique essence.
We helped each other to get dressed and to do our hair. All around us, other women were doing the same until our room was filled with the scent of creams and exotic oils, and the sounds of laughter, bantering, and beauty tips being thrownaround like confetti. When we were finally ready for the ball, Amber and I stood side by side at the full-length mirror, and I was blown away by how different we looked from our everyday selves.
My hair was piled high on my head in twists and curls. The bodice hugged my figure flatteringly, and my mother's pendant was on display and rested between my breasts and the cleavage I had never realized I had. I swayed from side to side and felt the feather-light fabric whisper against my legs. The dress included matching slippers that sat gently on my feet, making them feel as if they were being hugged by clouds. I was amazed and very grateful to Lady Lovilla and to Cleopatra for making the introduction.
We made our way downstairs in a throng of women dressed in exotic finery. Butterflies danced in my belly as we stepped through the large doors leading to the dining hall. We weren't the first. Students were already enjoying themselves inside when we arrived. It was a celebration, so there were no formal speeches we had to listen to before the event kicked off.
I couldn't believe how different the dining hall looked. It had been decorated for the ball. The walls and ceiling were draped with midnight blue fabrics in chiffon and silk. Candles hanging in the air created an effect like a star-spangled evening sky. Either the fabric was fire-retardant, or the candles were shimmering with magical flame that wouldn't make the draperies catch fire. I didn't know which, but I didn't much care. All I knew was that it was gorgeous and special. It felt like walking around inside some sort of magnificent dream.
The tables and chairs were bedecked in pure white. Against one of the walls were tables groaning under dishes piled high with food. Pork roast, chicken, duck, and lamb; thick stewsin simmering pots; a tower of fresh bread rolls on trays; fruits, puddings, sugar-spun confections in all the colors of the rainbow; jellies and ice sculptures; jugs of exotic juices and wines. There was more food than I had ever seen in my life. Some of the students were already picking over the feast, dishing it onto plates. Others had taken their food to the tables and were dining with ravenous gusto. With white roses and soft candlelight, the smaller tables made it seem as if the students were dining in heaven among the clouds. The partygoers themselves seemed more adult than I had ever seen them looking before. Here and there, I spotted an instructor or a member of staff, but most of the beautiful people flitting between the tables were students like myself, only in their fancy dress were they elevated to something extraordinary.
The room adjacent to the dining hall was the grandest ballroom in the castle and had been similarly decorated. We had never been in there before, since the doors to that room were normally kept shut. Now, because it was a special occasion, the doors were thrown open so students could move freely between the dining hall, the ballroom, and the gardens beyond as they wished.
A band was playing lively music in the ballroom, and the sound spilled into the dining hall. Glancing through the open doorway, I could see a number of people twirling around in a complicated, upbeat dance.
We were still gawking at everything when Oliver appeared, looking like a dashing prince in his own formal attire. He bowed deeply in front of us and held out his hands. "Milady Cole and Milady Wood. May I escort you to your table?" The wicked grin on his face spoiled the effect a bit, and we had to laugh, but we took his arms and let him lead us through the dining hall to an open table.
Oliver brought us our first drinks. A few sips down, I realized that whatever was in this delicious, innocent-looking concoction was going straight to my head because I hadn't eaten anything since that afternoon. The three of us went to fill plates at the food table. We sat down with our meals, and when every last morsel had disappeared from our plates, it was time to join in the dancing.
