Page 9 of Lucent Academy 2: Trinity Awakens
The groups followed their appointed instructors and scattered into different sections of the training grounds. For a moment, I watched Cleopatra depart with Principal Lucius and Crystalline. Caleb followed my gaze. He was leaning casually against the barrier wall surrounding the arena, his feet crossed in a devil-may-care attitude that I knew I could never pull off. It was safe to say that I already liked him. He bent closer as if he was about to share a very important secret. "Impressive, isn't she?" When I didn't respond, he seemed to take it as an indication that I wanted to know more. "Diamond-Rank control. Far ahead of any student I know, and she's never been trained. She bonded with an Archangel, a Diamond-Ranked mate. You can bet the school is all abuzz with gossip about Cleopatra."
Caleb turned his eyes to regard me. "And then there's you: the Trinity. You bonded with three mates, and yet here you are, stuck learning Iron-level magic. It must suck for you."
For the first time, I felt fully understood. I merely nodded, aware that Amber and Oliver were standing just a few feet away, wrapped in their own discussion. I didn't really want anyone to overhear me lamenting my fate.
"Well then," Caleb sighed. He pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against. "Shall we get started? I hope whatever I can teach you will be a very swift, small stepping stone on your way to discovering your true potential, Leah Wood." His mate was standing close to him, and I could feel heat baking off her like an oven. Up close, she was very beautiful. She smiled at me, and I returned it just as Amber and Oliver were drawing closer. "This is Tanwen, the light of my life. Literally speaking."
The Fire Jinn rolled her eyes at Caleb's bad joke, and Amber, Oliver, and I groaned. Tanwen slapped her mate playfully on his arm. "If I weren't as devoted to you as I am, your sense of humor would have put a damper on my passion." She turned back to us and whispered loudly, "Luckily, he has other talents that I'm rather fond of." She gave a saucy little wink.
We laughed as Caleb blushed. "Yes, well... Perhaps we had better focus on the lessons, hmmm?"
They led the three of us to a quieter section of the training grounds. As we passed other groups, I saw instructors demonstrating elemental spells to the students watching with rapt attention. The air was thick with magic as Frost, Air, and Earth elemental spells were demonstrated. One of the other instructors, Lady Tisterra, was producing a large stone boulder that tore itself from the ground with an ear-splitting, rippingsound. Her students clapped heartily after she had launched it at a nearby target, taking its head clean off. She didn't even crack a smile at her students' admiration, but folded her hands in front of her and waited for them to quiet down.
She was tall, thin, and graceful. Her silvery-gray hair was tied back in a bun, so tightly I could practically hear it scream. Much of her seemed older than any of the other instructors, but her face was unnaturally smooth and unlined. Behind her was her mate, a short, broad-shouldered man with gray in his hair and in the beard that hung down his chest. His skin was the color and texture of marble. I wondered uneasily if he really was a Stone Giant. They were known for being aggressive and unpredictable. For the moment, he seemed pacific. He looked like an aging barbarian warrior and was a perfect balance to his lady's statuesque demeanor. One could sense the protectiveness radiating off him. He watched the students serenely as Lady Tisterra attempted to explain the nature of earth magic to her students.
In passing, my eye caught Vivian Salvina's, one of the girls with whom I shared a dormitory. She had an Alpha Werewolf mate. I had sort of forgotten she was in this class as well. She gave me a little wave and turned her attention back to Lady Tisterra.
When we were standing a few feet from where a dummy target had been set up, one that had been stuffed with straw, Caleb turned and spoke to us. "Because your control is as yet on the Iron level, I am hoping to advance you to Steel. This will require more than one practice session, and I don't expect you to accomplish it in one day." With a flick of his wrist, he opened his hand, and flames were dancing in his palm, lighting his face. "This is what I want you to focus on for now. Just draw on thefire element you have at your disposal and create a flame. Once you manage this, we can try a firewave spell."
He let the fire die out before continuing. "At this level, your magic spells are comparable to ranged weapons. It can do serious damage, but will still be outclassed by a skilled conventional soldier."
"What's the point then?" Oliver asked, voicing my own exasperation. "Why not just train us with ranged weapons if they're better? Train us as you would any other soldiers. What use will magic be then on the battlefield at all?"
To my surprise, Caleb didn't seem put out by the question.
"Oh, you will get training in the use of weapons as well. Classes with different weapons masters on days when you're not honing your magic should be marked on the schedules you received. I'm guessing you haven't taken a close look at your schedule for the rest of the week yet. A Manaborn can run out of magic, as you discovered on your first day after the summoning. When you do, you need to be prepared to defend yourselves with physical weapons. Chances are, you'll discover you are fairly decent at using at least one ranged weapon."
Caleb shrugged. "To answer your question of why it's even necessary to hone your magical skills, not all creatures you'll be facing can be defeated with physical weapons. The three of you have the potential to use magic destructive enough to really make a difference in combat. It's the kind of magical ability the Academy hopes for in its students, and to leave you untrained would be a serious waste of your potential. I know how frustrating it is to start at such a low level. I myself only graduated three years ago, so I can fully appreciate how you feel right now. Hopefully, it will encourage you to work hard so youcan get to the good stuff." He grinned, and his good humor was infectious. As someone able to give hope to the hopeless and talk sense to the discouraged, he was very good.
We spent the remainder of the lesson trying to create fire in the palm of our hand that wouldn't burn us, but that could be used to light an enemy on fire or wood in a fireplace. It was a lot more difficult than I had thought it was going to be.
When I had performed the spell that had infused our apple tree back home with magic, it just happened. I hadn't planned on it, I hadn't even known that I was Manaborn back then. Oliver managed to create a flame in the palm of his hand much more quickly than either Amber or me, and I could hear Amber cursing under her breath as we stood a few feet from each other.
Her whispered curse words were getting progressively more creative, and I understood her frustration. She had basically done a firespell unconsciously when she had first awakened as a Manaborn. Melting the anvil in her father's workshop also hadn't been her plan, but to struggle to create even a small flame now was just the cherry on an infuriating crap cake.
I understood, but she was also distracting me, and I found myself stifling a giggle.
Just then, something seemed to happen to me. I felt something move in my mind. It had been like trying to push against an enormous boulder, and feeling as if it wasn't moving an inch, then suddenly it did, and there it was, the connection to my power. A flame started swirling into existence in the palm of my hand. I watched it, not realizing that I was holding my breath.
"How's it going here?" A voice said behind us, and I twirled around, startled by suddenly hearing Principal Lucius's voice.
He was standing next to Caleb, watching us. Evidently, the Principal had asked him about our progress and hadn't meant to startle me. Crystalline stood next to Lucius, and when I spun around and lowered my hand guiltily, as if I had been doing something I shouldn't, she stifled her own giggle.
"Hi," I said, forgetting what I was supposed to be doing.
They nodded, and the Principal was about to say something apologetic, but the smile left Crystalline's face, and she frowned. "My dear, you seem to be on fire."
I shook my head, blushing a little at what I thought was her complimenting me. "No, I haven't been able to do it yet. I thought I was just getting the hang of it, but it's more difficult than it looks, really."
Crystalline cocked her head to the side, and though she was in her human form, she suddenly looked very bird-like. "No, I mean your dress." She pointed down at me, "You're actually on fire."
I looked down and saw that she was right. I was on fire. The flame I had created in the palm of my hand must have lit the hem of my dress when I had lowered my hand unthinkingly.
"Here, let me just..." Crystalline said and stepped forward. She stuck out her hand, and freezingly cold drops sprayed from her palm. It extinguished the flame, and I was left with a black hole in my dress and smelling like a chimney.
"Well," Principal Lucius said, "I can see that you're hard at work. Keep it up." As I saw the merriment in his eyes, I thought I was going to die from embarrassment.
When he was a few feet from us, walking back to check on one of the other groups, I heard a choked howling next to me. I glancedthat way and saw that it was Amber. She was trying her best not to laugh too loudly.
