Help from an Unexpected Quarter 1

After Instructor Drakkon called attendance, he said, "this week's exercises are chapter 1 in Basic Elemental Magic and the XiFi exercise described in chapter 2 of Beginner's Guide to Spoken Charms and Curses. Read the descriptions and ask your neighbors first if you need help." A bag appeared in his hand. "Now, if you already know how to do both of these exercises, I see no need for you to stay here for eight hours, but you will first demonstrate this. Come up here and show me. If you can do it correctly, you may leave."

Uriel smiled and stood. Immediately, everyone else who'd stood sat back down. He walked to the center of the room, and five balls of elements appeared, Gothe, Air, Fire, Water, and Light. Instructor Drakkon nodded, and they disappeared.

"XiFi," Uriel said firmly as his eyes glued to the bag in Instructor Drakkon's hand. It glowed, and from its opening, a small shower of white-gold sparks poured out. Uriel smiled and crossed to the bag. Reaching into it, he withdrew a folded sheaf of high-quality paper. Frowning in obvious confusion, he unfolded it and stared at it.

"You may go," Instructor Drakkon told him. Uriel did not appear to hear him. He continued to look at the paper. After another minute, he folded it up again and slid it into his pocket. "Fin," he said, ending the enchantment. Then looking expectantly at Instructor Drakkon, he waited. Instructor Drakkon cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? I already said you could go," he said. Some of the class including Nix snickered. Uriel turned and glared at him. Then, he swiftly left the room.

After him, most of the class got up and performed the spells. Of them, Nix and a female, Lorna, failed to do the elemental magic properly and had to stay. Nix replaced Uriel at Rez's arrangement since his entire arrangement left. Rez, Lorien, Dain, West and four other students made no attempt to be allowed to leave. Lorien took a heavy looking bag and disappeared down the opening in the wall of the left side of the room. The others simply practiced where they sat.

Sky waited for someone to ask a question, so she could hear some explanation of the exercises. To her disappointment, no one did. She simply sat and pretended to sleep all class, again.

***

Week 2 day 1 Alontil

"No! How many times do I have to tell you no? I will not give you those books until you get a student ID card," Madam Pritchard quipped. After seven days, it seemed as if Madam Pritchard had lost her patience. Sky felt her lower lip quiver. She really had thought that she had been wearing the librarian down. She'd come here after class ended and tried to get books—again and again. Sky wasn't sure what to think when sounds of light footfalls on the stone floor came closer and cut through the silence that had fallen over the already quiet library.

"Madam Pritchard, are you aware that you are yelling?" a male voice like warm honey said and had slid into Sky's ears. Sky stole a quick glance at the male from the corner of her eyes as he leaned against the counter. She immediately looked away again. It was one of the male's she'd seen speaking with Instructor Drakkon and the Chancellor outside of the summoning room; the one who'd look eerily familiar. Up close, he looked a little different but not enough for her to think he might not be the same person.

Sky returned her attention to Madam Pritchard. The librarian smoothed out the wrinkles between her knit brows with the index and middle fingers of her left hand. Dropping her hand, she let out a frustrated breath. She looked harsh, Sky thought.

"I lost my temper. This human has been coming here every day, multiple times a day, asking to borrow the books for class 1-ES1, but I cannot loan them to her until she gets an ID card. As a member of the student council, I am asking you to deal with her. I am going to go to my office for several minutes to calm down. When I come back, I want her to be gone and never ask about this again. Can you make that happen?" Madam Pritchard demanded, and Sky stared at her. With her mousy brown hair and her large glasses, Sky had felt like they were kindred spirits, and she'd always seemed so nice. Now, it sounded as if she were asking this male to beat her until she agreed not to ask for the books again.

Sky looked at him impassively. He returned her gaze for a moment. Then, his dark eyes raked over her from head to toe. Just the corner of his top lip lifted in a sneer.

"I think I can manage that," he said as his eyes locked on Sky. The power behind that dark gaze gave her goosebumps. The silver-haired male turned back to Madam Pritchard before she could walk away. "But first I need to check out some books," he said.

"Of course, I will wait," he said and pushed off the counter and disappeared down the shelves. A few minutes later, he returned with two books. He placed these on top of the books Sky had been trying to check out. Then, he slid the stack to Madam Pritchard and looked at her expectantly.

"You want to check these out? But they're all for beginners," she said eyeing the male dubiously. Sky frowned confused. Was he just doing this to mock her?

"Yes," the male replied with a wide, dazzling smile. "It never hurts to review the basics, and I am interested in what they're teaching first years nowadays." Sky reached for the stack, but Madam Pritchard yanked it backward away from her.

"Wait those two are mine. I wanted to…" Sky trailed off under the weight of the two impassive glares. She ducked her head, feeling almost inconsolable.

"You will make sure she doesn't bother me again?" Madam Pritchard repeated. The male smiled reassuringly.

"Of course. As a member of the student council, I will take care of this for you," he said. A look of relief swept across Madam Pritchard's face as she nodded and processed the books.