Broken Blades Don't Sing (Tales of Ashkar Book One) (21 page)

Quinn gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
He felt his face flush red with rage as he stood up from his
seat.

"The Second Pillar, Stone Slab Slam, is—Quinn,
what are you doing?" asked Master Felen, but he ignored her. He
rushed over to the back of the classroom to where the bullies
continued to snicker at him mockingly.

The nearest one, a plump boy that was a couple
ages his senior, smirked at him with round, bulbous eyes and an
even rounder face. Quinn noticed another crumpled parchment atop
the aggressor's desk.

"Look, it's Quinn the Magicless Moron", jeered
the bully. "He's too stupid to learn anything!"

Fury consumed him, and Quinn lunged at the
bully. The bully's face shifted from mockery to fear as Quinn
landed a blow across the side of his face. Without hesitation,
Quinn lifted his left arm for another strike—

A hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. He
turned to meet Master Felen's stern gaze, her dark purple
complexion and bright eyes revealing concern.

"Quinn, it is not okay to strike your fellow
classmates", she said, releasing her grasp on his wrist. "What
happened?"

"It doesn't matter!" Quinn screamed. "Nobody
cares anyway!"

He stormed out of the classroom and into the
hallway. Eyes bored into him as he made his way frantically through
other students. Emotions flooded him, and he made no attempt to
hold them at bay. It wasn’t long until he wound up outside in the
courtyard just outside the classroom. If he had turned in the
direction of the window, he guessed he would have seen the
scrutinizing eyes of his classmates. He stopped next to a tree and
sat at its base, looking down and covering his head as he felt his
eyes begin to water.

Mom and dad, why did you leave me here?

"Oh look, a failure", said a familiar voice—a
voice that resonated throughout his entire being every time he
heard it. A shadow loomed over him, and again he felt rage
beginning to fester inside. Quinn looked up to another mocking
gaze. His blood started to boil.

Damian…

Quinn hated that stupidly-styled blond hair,
that stupid, impish smile, and most of all, those stupid,
condescending eyes. They peered at him intently, enraging him even
further.

"Why are you still here?" jeered Damian. Other
students shifted their attention to them and started to gather in
the courtyard. "You don't belong here. You're trash."

Quinn gritted his teeth and clenched his fists,
rage fueling him again.

---

Doriel shook her head as Quinn rushed out of the
room.

Not this again…

She shot Gezzi a disapproving look. "You and I
are going to have a talk about this."

"Master Felen, what is wrong with Quinn?" asked
a student who was seated at the front of the classroom. Doriel
turned to face the girl—a veri, like herself. She was about the
same age as Quinn.

"What do you mean, Yafn?" answered Doriel
inquisitively.

"Well, he can't cast any spells", said the girl,
genuine concern displayed in her expression. "Is he sick?"

Doriel stood there for a moment, pondering the
question and how best to approach it. Unable to come up with a
proper explanation, she smiled embarrassingly. "Everyone is special
in some way. Quinn just hasn't found it yet."

"Master Felen, look!" shouted another student as
he pointed toward the window.

Doriel shifted to see what the child pointed at
and gasped. Steeling herself, she bolted into action and ran for
the door, nearly crashing into it before slamming it open. She
stumbled onto the hallway, though caught herself before she could
crash into a student. Without stopping to offer explanation to the
confused expressions of passersby, Doriel sprinted down the hall
and outside the building.

She jumped over a stone bench, then rounded the
corner as fast as she could. Shouts of excitement emanated from the
origin of the altercation. Doriel nearly collided with several
others before stopping behind the gathering crowd. Catching her
breath, she peered past the other students to where Quinn and
Damian were exchanging blows.

This has to stop...

Doriel stepped forward, intent on resolving the
confrontation.

"Master Felen, let's not be hasty", said an
elderly voice from behind her.

Surprised, Doriel stopped and turned to meet the
cheerful smile of Master Wu. He stood with his hands clasped behind
his back, his narrow eyes calm and without concern. She bowed
respectfully. "Grand Master Magus! I’m glad that you’re here, but I
am ending this right now.”

"Do not fret", assured Master Wu as he stepped
forward to join her. "There are times when one must find their way
on their own."

Doriel shifted her gaze at him, perplexed at his
words. "Are you suggesting that we allow them to harm each other,
Master?"

"Have you pondered the nature of this
conundrum?" asked the elderly man, still focused at the two boys
clashing ahead.

"What do you mean, Master?" answered Doriel,
still confused at the puzzle laid before her by the senior
elementalist. She was only met with silence. She turned back to the
commotion, just in time to witness Quinn land a convincing blow to
Damian's abdomen, and the bully reeled over in pain.

Despite the successful attack, Quinn was not
without his own injuries. Admittedly, Doriel was surprised at how
well Quinn fought, given the disparity in age. Next to her, she
heard the Grand Master Magus chuckle. It was clear that Quinn's
strike brought him some sort of satisfaction that she could not
understand.

"If you were to interject," began Master Wu
suddenly, "Is that a permanent or temporary solution?"

"What if their lives are threatened?" Doriel
asked her esteemed master.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the elderly man. "This is
but a simple childish clash. A few wounds of the flesh is but an
afterthought."

Doriel shifted uncomfortably, and her expression
beheld uncertainty as she continued to watch the two children
attack each other. Still concerned, she turned back to the Grand
Master Magus for an answer.

"Their feeble, undeveloped minds default to
arbitrary emotions that cloud enlightenment", continued Master Wu.
"We must cultivate them so that they may reach their potential. For
now, however, children will be childr—"

The elderly man's eyes widened suddenly, and
Doriel turned to face the clashing boys. She gasped, her heart
skipping a beat as she witnessed a ball of fire fly toward Quinn.
The boy attempted to leap to the side, but the fiery orb struck him
on the chest. Screaming in pain, he fell to the floor in a panic
and tried his best to diminish the flames that engulfed his
garment, but to no avail. The cheering first gave way to gasps of
shock, and then utter silence as the crowd looked around at each
other in uncertainty.

"Is his life threatened now?" lashed Doriel,
annoyed at Master Wu's foolhardiness.

He smiled sheepishly, scratching his head and
shrugging in defeat. Bracing herself, she diverted her attention
ahead and waded through the roaring crowd. She made her way quickly
to where Quinn flailed frantically and summoned a fount of water.
She gushed the boy with soothing liquid, leaving no trace of
burning embers.

"Are you all right, Quinn?" Doriel asked
worriedly.

The boy was still lying on his back, and he
looked down in confusion. The flames had scorched a considerable
portion of his robes, revealing his chest. Quinn patted the area,
and was surprised to discover that Doriel's water had not only
doused the fire, but had also healed his burnt flesh completely.
Quinn then looked up at her and nodded. If his eyes held rage
before, Doriel found nothing but helplessness now.

Doriel turned to Damian. The bully was clearly
reveling in his apparent triumph. Whatever that triumph was, she
would probably never understand no matter how many hours she
studied it or how many books she read on it.

"You should be ashamed of yourself", she
denounced, and not just to the bully, but to the others as well for
remaining idle. "Such conduct soils the prestige of this
academy!"

Some of the students lowered their heads, while
others simply walked away. Even Damian displayed hesitation, though
whether that was simply a ruse to feign sympathy she did not
know.

"You bring dishonor to the Dassic name, Damian",
Doriel continued, "Why do you disrespect your revered family
so?"

The bully looked down, deciding not to address
her and instead remaining silent. He stood frozen and twiddled his
thumbs.

"Do you need to be disciplined more harshly?"
she said threateningly as she raised her voice.

"Now, now, Master Felen", interjected Master Wu
from behind her, "It would be wise not to enact unsolicited
punishment."

Whispers and murmurs began to circulate amongst
the crowd.

"Why yes, students, the Grand Master Magus is
indeed gracing you with his presence", stated the elderly man with
a hint of arrogance. "Now, return to your activities."

Some of the students heeded the man's words and
left, but a significant portion remained, apparently curious as to
why the renowned elementalist involved himself with something so
trivial. Wu looked around at the faces in the crowd, frowning in
clear displeasure as they remained motionless and ignored his
words.

"Be gone, little worms!" roared the Grand Master
Magus, raising both arms as if to conjure a wicked spell upon
unsuspecting souls. The students scrambled and scattered
frantically, and within moments the courtyard was empty save for
three.

Quinn stood up and patted himself down, exhaling
a melancholic sigh as he looked up at Doriel with watery eyes. She
kneeled down to match his height and smiled warmly.

"Poor child", lamented Auria, her elemental,
echoing her own thoughts.

"Never give up", assured Doriel to the young
boy.

Quinn locked eyes with Doriel, and she swore she
saw a hint of determination flare up again.

"Well done, Master Felen!" commented Master Wu.
She turned to meet his carefree complexion and whimsical smile.
"You've proven a capable teacher and example for our young
minds!"

Doriel rolled her eyes and contorted her face in
an are-you-kidding-me look.

Master of eight yet such a fool.

Ignoring her reaction, Master Wu turned to Quinn
with a wrinkled smile. "One day you will have power unimaginable.
Of that, I promise you."

Chapter 12

347th Dawn of the 4999th Age of Rimas

Serraemas lowered his weapon and relaxed.

Up ahead, Samantha's armor shined under the sun,
and she rode toward them with haste. Her persistence was beginning
to become quite troublesome.

"Admittedly, her persistence is admirable",
commented Zaranet.

"Raxxil", said Serraemas, looking at the fiery
elementalist. The latter grinned at the approaching figure,
completely ignoring his call. "Raxxil!"

Waking from his trance, Raxxil shifted his
attention to Serraemas. "What?"

"No more foolish games", snapped Serraemas.

The armored woman was nearly upon them. She
commanded her steed to stop to the side of the path, several feet
away from where they stood. She quickly dismounted, and her
footsteps resounded as her plated boots struck the ground with each
step. At her side, the woman's blade remained sheathed. Her
complexion displayed determination while she strode up to where
they were gathered. She examined each of them individually, though
her attention lingered on the child.

"Why does the little one accompany you?" she
demanded, confusion flashing across her face.

"Your interruption impedes our task", stated
Serraemas coldly, ignoring her question completely.

"And what would that entail?" scoffed Samantha
as she crossed her arms. She stopped a few feet from Serraemas and
the two locked eyes. "If you truly are who you claim to be, then
this isn't simply about monsters and heroi—"

"Your presence is unnecessary", interrupted
Serraemas, once again ignoring the woman's words. "Return to
Bellis. You delve in matters beyond your capability, and I will not
humor you further."

"Your knowledge regarding the female gender is
always astonishing", chided Zaranet playfully.

Clearly dismayed, Samantha's expression grew
furious. She drew her blade and held it threateningly at Serraemas.
"As if I require two of you to belittle my strength!" Without
hesitation, Samantha lunged forward at Serraemas. She raised her
weapon above her head before slashing down in a vertical arc.

Serraemas raised his staff to parry—

A hammer shot out from behind him, meeting with
the woman's sword with such power that it knocked the weapon from
her grasp. The blade flew to the side and buried itself in the
ground. Samantha staggered backward, recoiling from the blow and
attempting to recover her bearings.