Magic Academy (A Fantasy New Adult Romance) (9 page)

It was like those pleasantly cool
flakes were serving as a magnifier, taking what the elf did and
making it into something a little more special.

She found herself laughing a little,
not maliciously, but at the miracle of her own little trick, which
she’d come up with all on her own.

It almost caused her to miss the work
of her competitor, who was subtly turning her work against her.

The evaporated water was forming into
great crystalline shards, that began to fall and impale the earth
around her. Each one bigger than the last. She knew it wasn’t
her handiwork, but his, though she had little idea how to counter it.

The fire, she thought, and tried to
redirected it back to the air to end the icy presence. Though when
she did, something strange happened. The elf had interfered yet
again!

Panic took over as the flame, instead
of going into the air to melt the crystals, was instead careening
directly towards her. Nothing she did could make it change course or
alter! It was a ball of death that was on an unalterable course for
her!

It seemed as if time slowed down in
that instant, her life flashing before her. She had time to
appreciate the look of deviousness on her opponent's face. The smug
derision on the elven master’s.

It was surreal.

She was going to be defeated by her own
fire – or maybe worse! – and it’d look like it was
her fault.

She bent her will to stop it even then,
but nothing could alter her destiny it seemed. Nothing until…

The ring on her finger shifted, and she
saw the red lines hidden in its azure depths grow. It was no longer
just amplifying her powers; it was working with Varuj. She could
sense that fact.

When the fire hit her, instead of
hurting or harming her, it instead absorbed into her, much like her
familiar did when she desummoned it. She could feel the heat within
her! Or was it Varuj again?

She wasn’t certain, but when his
voice echoed inside her mind to
Exhale
! she had to obey.

A great plume of fire and smoke erupted
from her mouth in the shape of… of Varuj! Though it was only
an instant, and then it took on a more explainable outline of another
antelope, that then cavorted with her familiar.

As she finished exhaling the smoke, it
joined the other two. Three beautiful, magical animals prancing as
the crowd erupted into applause.

Never had she felt such gratitude for
that demon. For his prowess and ability.

And for showing up the smug elf.

She smiled brightly as she spun, her
robe flowing about her ankles as she took a moment to revel in the
spectacle. It was the first time since she got there that she truly
felt… enjoyment.

The elder student fumed quietly, eyes
darting about and feeling bothered by having been outdone by a mere
hopeful. Though once she’d finished her spin she saw one of the
entourage around the master beckon her over.

She complied, and once there the master
said to her in an even tone, “You’ve a great deal of
promise. And we can turn that into something great at Gaul’di-mere
Academy.” He simply turned and left then, no more time to spare
for her or the event it seemed, though one of the entourage with him
spoke up.

“We’ll be in touch with
details. You’ll come start soon,” he stated, “so be
ready.” Then he turned and left with the rest too.

She couldn’t believe it.

Her dreams were actually coming true.

Her face flushed red and for a moment
she felt faint. Gaul’di-mere Academy.

Her.

Firia’s smile damn near broke her
face and she had to force herself not to leap for joy. One of the
best Academies in the land… and they wanted her! A human that
they weren’t even going to let compete!

Best of all, she’d actually be
going to school with Mae’lin, one of the few people who had
ever been kind to her.

And all it took was a little help from
her new demon… accomplice.

Okay… a lot of help.

She could feel him inside of her, the
demon’s excitement so high. It was like he wanted to rise up
out of her and join her in her celebration, but knew better than to
do it there amidst the ongoing events.

She needed to get out, to be alone and
celebrate.

She had to tell her father!

Firia was giddy as she began to leave,
needing to get away before anything else went wrong. Before they
tried to steal this moment of happiness from her.

Firia was jubilant as she made her way
back home. She even found herself hopping and skipping as she made
the journey.

Not only had she done it, accomplished
her life’s dream of being accepted to an academy, but she’d
been fortunate enough to get into one of the most prestigious magical
academies in the land. And not even that far from her father! It was
beyond what she could’ve thought realistic for a human without
any training!

When she arrived back to her father’s
small cottage, she almost didn’t see the notice tacked to her
front door. Though at the sign of the constabulary, her heart froze.

She knew what it said before she even
tore it off and read it. Her father had been arrested for theft of
the ring, and they’d taken him in to the constables office for
questioning and jail.

Her heart could barely take the
constant ups and downs of her rollercoaster life the past week.

“Noo,” she cried out, to no
one and nothing. She swore her heart was breaking and her eyes filled
with tears. There was no way that they’d believe someone like
him was innocent…

Yet the human, the one in charge…
he’d been kind, hadn’t he? The way he looked at her had
been sympathetic. She had to speak with him, alone. Convince him.

Firia arrived at the constable’s
office nearly breathless. It wasn’t a large building, for they
operated outside the town and serviced the rural areas around where
her father and she lived. Though the moment she abruptly set foot in,
all eyes turned to her.

The familiar constable rose up from his
desk in the back and he came forward towards her. “Miss Tunst,”
he said, “your father is fine. He’s safe, don’t
worry.” He was so quick to reassure her.

Her body trembled despite her best
efforts at keeping calm as she looked up at him. Her blue eyes were
rimmed with red and she knew she couldn’t hide the fact that
she’d been crying from him.

“Can I speak with him?”

He hesitated but smiled to her. “Sure.
Follow me,” he said, leading her in around the barrier and into
the back.

The rows of cells were all empty, but
for one, and her father looked so sad and unhappy. She’d not
seen him in such a state since his bout of depression following her
mother’s death. His shoulders slumped. His face seeming to sag
with sorrow.

“I’ll give you some
privacy,” the constable said, shutting the door and leaving her
there.

“Daddy, please tell me this isn’t
true,” she said as she went towards him, reaching out for him.
“I know it’s not, but you have to tell me.”

He stood up from his hard-wood bench
and went to the bars. “Oh sweetie,” he said, his own eyes
looking so reddened. Not with tears, but the stress and strain that
she knew so intimately he felt. She’d seen it in him in those
long, hard days. “I bought the ring,” he said, reaching
out through the bars limply, “but… but I suppose I
should’ve known the chances were high it was stolen. I just…
I just didn’t want to think of that. Not when you could use
it.”

She felt a rush of anger at whoever had
sold her father the ring, and she brought his hand to her lips and
kissed it. “Daddy, who did you buy it from? Where were they?
What did they look like?”

He shook his head and let it hang low.
“They know who it is already,” he said sadly. “They
knew before I even said it. He’s a known crook and con man,”
he said, and she knew he felt so stupid. “They said I’ll
probably be free to go soon. I just… I just wish it had been
enough… enough to get you through the contest,” his face
hung downwards, but she could tell, for the first time in so many
years, her father was on the verge of tears.

“Daddy… Dad. I got in.
They accepted me into Gaul’di-mere. It worked.” She was
trying so hard to hold back her excitement, but she realized then
that it was all he wanted to hear. He didn’t need her to save
him from this place.

He needed her to give him hope.

Her father was slow to lift his head,
but when he did, she saw the wide-eyed look on his face. “You…
you made it?” he asked, and though there was surprise on his
voice, she knew he’d had complete faith in her. Just not in the
circumstances that bound them. “Gaul’di-mere?”

“Yes! I.. they had me back today.
They… put me against one of the students. A student, dad, and
I still did it. I still impressed those…” she lowered
her voice, “those elves.”

Her grin spread across her face and her
brows went up in the centre. “I couldn’t have done it
without you.”

She realized just how right she’d
been. Nothing could have cheered him up like that news. Not a single
thing she could have said or done would’ve made him smile like
he did then. Nothing else could’ve brought the joyous tears to
his handsome, dignified face. “My girl…” he
murmured in disbelief. “By the gods… how could I have
raised such a girl?” he shook his head and laughed, clutching
her hands so tight. “You are more than I could have ever
imagined a child of mine could become, Firi.”

She caressed his knuckles, kissing them
tenderly as she tried to hold back her tears. “So now we gotta
get you back home so we can celebrate. Now that they know who the
thief was…” she smiled, but it was tight.

The ring was hers now. It couldn’t
be returned to the original owner. Someone was going to pay for it
and she prayed it wasn’t him.

He shook his head, grinning like such
the foolishly proud father he was. “Don’t worry about
that. It’ll sort itself out sweetie. You’ve got bigger
things to worry about then some silliness with your old dad.”
He hadn’t stopped squeezing her hands. “You go home
tonight and make yourself a fine meal. Okay? There’s something
I was saving in the cupboards for when you did this. And I want you
to enjoy it to the fullest.”

“Dad,” she whimpered and
her lower lip trembled. She was so happy and so worried all at once.
“You’ve done so much for me. They… couldn’t
take the ring from me. It’s mine now. Bound to me.”

He blinked in surprise and looked down
at the azure stone, the faint traces of ruby so hard to see, she
didn’t think one could make them out unless they were looking
for it. “How…” he shook his head with surprise.
“You never cease to amaze,” he said with a smile. “Good.
You deserve that ring more than anyone, sweet child. I’m glad
of it.” He gave such a defiant smile, she knew he would be glad
to accept any fate as long as it meant she kept that edge to help her
succeed.

“You didn’t know, dad. I’ll
do what I can, okay, but know how happy I am. How much you’ve
done for me, alright? You’ve… You’ve done so much
for me and now I’m really going to the Academy. All because of
you.”

She was being emotional. She knew that.

But at that moment, she loved him more
than anything.

He had not cried since that long-ago
time when both their lives had been irrevocably changed forever.
Though now it was so much better. “I only helped bring out what
was in you, Firi. And I’d gladly pay any price for that little
bit of help I rendered.”

The knock came on the door, a courteous
reminder from the friendly constable outside.

“Go home and celebrate, sweetie.
I might be in here a day or two, but you’ve got big events
ahead, and you need to be ready.”

She nodded as she kissed his hand
again. “Be strong, dad. I love you, and don’t think I
don’t still need you!”

She was still crying as she went to the
door and swiped away the tears quickly before opening it. “Thank
you,” she said as she slipped out, then looked up at the
constable. “Can I speak with you in private?”

The constable took a look around then
nodded, “This way, miss Tunst.” He guided her to a small
office in the rear, shutting the door behind them. “Sorry for
the interruption, but there’s rules about how long you can
visit with prisoners, ma’am.” He sounded so sincerely
apologetic.

“That’s okay,” she
sniffed and tried to force a smile at him. “I just…
What’s going to happen now?”

“Well,” he started
cautiously, rubbing a hand back over his own dark hair. “We’re
looking for the man your father implicated to corroborate the story.
Now, if we can get him – and we know this man and what he’s
like, so I believe your father, personally – we can hopefully
clear your father of all suspicion. If we can’t? Well,”
he frowned just a bit, “we’ll hold him briefly, but I
don’t think in the long run we have anything to hold him on,
and he’ll go free regardless, miss.”

Such a wave of relief crashed through
her and she leaned against the wall to hold her balance. It was
better than she could have anticipated. Hoped for.

“Is there anything I can do?
He’s… Dad’s never been in trouble like this before
and after he lost mom he’s been… sad. This is hard on
him.”

He gave a wan smile, “Even if we
had the man right now, miss, he’s too wily to just confess. And
we’d have to hold your father a bit longer anyhow. There’s
nothing left for you to do but go home and wait.”

“Will you tell me if anything
changes, Mister…?”

“Alderon,” he said
pleasantly. “Darby Alderon. But a new student of the
Gaul’di-mere Academy can simply call me Darby.” There was
a certain sort of shared pride in his look for one of his own
people’s accomplishments. “Congratulations, Firia.”