I unwrapped the package, and the smells of grilled chicken, fresh salsa, and warm tortilla hit my nose. I dug right in. “I’m sure she’s right,” I mumbled between bites, not even taking the time to taste the deliciousness. “Who’s next—Gramps or the high turd of fire?”
Reyna snickered. “High Mage Snade is the meanest of them all, they say.”
She pointed to a marble castle, the white stone in stark contrast to the red and orange, flame-like, stained-glass windows. “When you’re done there, I’ll bring you back to Geoff for your spirit trial. Good luck.”
I guzzled the bottle of water she offered then gave it back to her empty, along with the burrito wrapper. “Thanks, Rey.”
“You bet.”
Was I walking with a slight limp? Sure. And I probably looked even worse than I felt, but I had this. I needed to pass my tests. Then I’d be in Rage’s arms in no time.
Turning away from Reyna, I trudged toward the castle of fire.
Not even five minutes later, I stood before the entrance with every nerve in my gut burning as if they were scorched with live flames. Maybe I was about to be burned alive. Maybe I was just a bit nervous. Maybe that was the jalapenos from my burrito.
I passed through the wrought-iron gate, and just inside the courtyard, I pulled to a stop. The red and orange streaks in the windowpane looked a lot like live flames licking the pristine stone. Fire was Rage’s element—which made me wonder what he was doing right now. What the Mage was the purpose of these stupid tests? And why did this initiation have to take all day? A bubble of self-pity welled up inside me. This initiation test sucked.
“Hello, Nai,” a man’s deep voice called from behind me, and I jumped.
Spinning around, I came face-to-face with the high mage of fire. He wore a bright orange silk robe and peered down his crooked nose at me with eyes that swirled like flames. At least, I was 75.4% sure he was staring at me with those creeptastic eyes. Black tufts of hair framed his otherwise bald head, and I noticed the tuft above his left ear was shorter than the one on his right … and was that ash on his shoulder?
“You scared me,” I admitted, and grabbed my chest.
He blinked, but his expression remained emotionless. “Typically, it’s bad form to enter someone’s estate without their permission.”
Okaay. Wasn’t he expecting me?
“I apologize if I was rude. I didn’t want to be late for your test … or, rather, my test …with you.”
He blinked again and then strode through the gates of his estate and past me, leaving me to scurry behind him.
We passed through the beautiful courtyard of the grounds that held a large grove of fruit trees. Ripe apples, clementines, and peaches hung from the branches, their colors mirroring the lilies and daisies that filled the flowerbeds.
“Wow, cool garden,” I said, waving at the flowers. “You must really like—”
“I will not pretend to like you,” the high mage said, whirling on me. “Nor will I pretend I want to see a half-breed at our fine, exclusive establishment.” He curled his lip into a cruel sneer. “Let’s get this over with quickly so we can both be done!” He spun around and then stalked off through the garden to a clearing.
Un-freakin-believable. What a douchebag extraordinaire! Reyna was right; he was the worst! Anger flooded my veins, but I reined it in when I saw the orb bobbing overhead. If everything I did was recorded, I didn’t want to fly off the handle at this dude. Best to just get this over with quickly and be done.
Glaring at his back, I crossed my arms and followed after him, wishing I could burn the rest of the hair from his head. As we reached a clearing in the garden, I noticed there was no setup. No table or chairs, no cups of water, and, most importantly, no fire extinguisher. Shocker.
The high mage of fire faced me once more, his impassive expression back on his bland face. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a Kleenex.
Huh?
I thought he was going to blow his nose or something, but instead, he crumpled it into his fist.
“This test is two parts. Part one. Burn this before it hits the ground.” Then he dropped the wad of tissue. Just like that, no other warning or explanation.
I scrambled forward as the scrunched-up Kleenex fell to the ground, but it hit before I could even focus on my fire power, let alone use it.
The white Kleenex sat on the lush grass, a visible display of my failure.
“That’s it?” I asked as irritation and indignation swelled beneath my ribs. No way.
The high mage scowled. “The test allows for three attempts. That was your first.”
Like I couldn’t count.
He leaned over and picked up the Kleenex. As soon as he’d straightened, and without any other warning, he dropped it again.
This sneaky bastard was trying to get me to fail.
I released a stream of fire from my left palm like Spiderman aiming one of his webs—only Spiderman had clearly practiced more.
The high mage stumbled backward as my arc of fire nearly grazed him. I’d totally missed the Kleenex wad. It landed on the ground, still 100% whole and white as a cloud.
“Oops.” I winced. “Sorry.”
Sort of.
He glared at me as he adjusted his robes which were in twisted disarray from playing dodgeball with my fire.
“Clearly, you have not learned accuracy!” He huffed and then strode over to pick up the Kleenex for the third and final round.
My body tensed. What happened if I failed this portion? Would they not allow me to go to school here? Worse, would they not let me be Gramps’ heir? Would they steal his power?
Pushing all of those thoughts and fears from my mind, I held my hand out and called up the heat of my fire magic.
This time, when the high mage rose, time seemed to slow. My senses were heightened, and I became aware of every little thing. The slight breeze, the bird trilling in the distance—hell, I was so focused I could hear his seething inhale as he straightened.
The male mage turned his palm toward the ground and released the tissue.
I pointed my fingers at the Kleenex while tracking it with my gaze. Releasing a stream of fire from my palm, I watched in triumph as the orange and red flames swallowed the white tissue with a sharp hiss.
“Yes!” I shouted as the glowing embers fluttered toward the ground and then turned to ash. “Take that!”
I pumped my fist in the air, and the high mage of fire sighed as if exhausted by my antics.
“The second part of this test will measure your ability to protect yourself. Prepare to be attacked.” As he spoke, his eyes nearly glowed, growing brighter until his gaze was filled with live flames.
Knowing how quick he was with the tissue, I wasn’t about to wait and ask questions. The high mage of fire said Prepare to be attacked, then I was pretty much counting on an entire wall of fire to hit. With my breath, I called up the wind.
He extended his palms, both lit with an orange glow. I threw the force of a gale at him in a desperate bid to snuff out his flames, but a sphere of his fire sailed through right toward my face and then was dowsed as the blast of my air extinguished it. Like blowing out birthday candles.
Only … the high mage tossed another fireball and then another.
I huffed and puffed, but the balls of flames kept coming. I dodged to the left, to the right—I even did an awkward attempt at an army roll. He was fast, and I couldn’t think straight. Wind wasn’t going to cut it. I needed water.