“Said she’d save her talents for the other students,” Professor de Spina smirked. “Butwewanted to make sure that you earned your place in the next Spellcasters Culling-year.”
“You understand, right?” Thrax moved forward. “We won’t go easy on you.”
The fact that they were making my test harder than the others had me bursting with pride. I’d grown up around these men. I knew that they didn’t just let pansies walk around Spellcasters, that they took their job of honing students into powerful and skilled spiesextremelyseriously. I just had to prove thatIshould be one of those students.
My lips quirked up, and acting fast, purple magic blasted from my hands. My unexpected attack sent Thrax reeling backward into the hedge.
But de Spina wasn’t so easily taken aback. He threw up a shield and grinned a smile that had incited many school-girl crushes on the young Demonology professor.
“Nice work. But we’re not going down so easily,” de Spina said as he swiped his shield aside and gray magic met my purple in midair. The colors swirled together, forming a ball of pulsing light. Mustering as much energy as I could, I surged my power forward, hoping to gain some influence. To my delight, de Spina stumbled a few feet backward.
Taking advantage of his momentary upheaval, I released the magic and dashed around him. I made it almost to the center of the room, but was stopped by a wall of gray forming in front of me.
“Leaving so soon?” de Spina asked.
I whirled about and hurled a stream of power at the professor. With a lazy wave of his hand de Spina conjured his own magic, gray as storm clouds. The steely power ate up mine and spun off to slam into the far wall. Acracksounded and a hole the size of one of the smaller Spellcasters’ gargoyles appeared in the cement.
My eyes bulged at the blatant show of power.
“Focus, Diana.” A shimmer of navy magic, Thrax’s, blasted just past my left shoulder.
I cursed and turned to run deeper into the room. A cold laugh sounded, de Spina’s, and a moment later Thrax joined in. The bastards.
You can’t run for forever. You have to beat them for it to count. Think, Diana, think!
I looked around wildly and my eyes latched onto the mountain of shovels. Flinging myself at the pile, I grabbed one and leapt up just in time to fend Thrax off. The flat side of the shovel collided with his back as he twirled with a grace that men his size rarely exhibited. Then, suddenly, a wall of de Spina’s gray magic was hurtling toward me.
My feet left the floor and I flew backward, into the shovels. I groaned as my head hit metal and my eyelids fluttered. Warm, wet blood began to seep down my neck.
“Bloody hell, de Spina. Don’t you think that was a bit much?”
Clearly Professor de Spina did, because all of a sudden he bent down in front of me. “Diana!” he said much too loudly. “Are you alright? Are you awake?”
My head pounded at the sound of his voice and I let out a groan. My hand lifted to feel for the cut. I found it almost right away. It was small, probably not serious, although it hurt like a bugger. Head wounds just bled a lot.
“She’s moving, which means she’s fine. We should put her in the cage.” Thrax’s words forced all concerns about my injury from my mind.
No. I couldn’t go in the cage. If I went in there, I failed the test. Sure I could still get into Spellcasters, but failing one of three entry exams would lookterribleon my record. I blinked a few times and my vision cleared. Professor de Spina was still leaning over me, his handsome face lined with worry. Right behind him was the vertical pallet.
My eyes zoned in on the pallet, and suddenly, I knew that I had to do.
“Crap! Thrax her eyes went all funny,” de Spina said, misunderstanding my focus and swiveling to face the Battle Magic professor.
Seizing the moment, I lifted my hands and sent a beam of power right at his back. Professor de Spina let out a cry of astonishment and went soaring across the room and straight into the pallet. I cringed as his body hit the dull metal spikes with athud,and he fell to the ground unconscious.
One down, one to go.
“Bloody hell,” Thrax mumbled, his gaze firmly on his partner. His moment of astonishment bought me a few seconds to force myself to standing and dart backward.
Unfortunately, I didn’t make it far before Thrax recovered and began advancing with incredible speed.
“That was vicious, Diana.” Magic burst from Thrax’s hands. Suddenly the entire mountain of shovels—my best weapons—levitated over the hedges and soared away. Then, without missing a beat, he launched another stream of magic at me. I staggered to the side, his power just barely missing me.
I barely had a chance to take a breath before yet another stream of navy power came at me. Without thinking, I dropped to the floor and rolled out of the way. Professor Thrax let out an amused laugh and hoping that meant he was somewhat distracted, I jumped up and took aim.
He grinned as my magic seared past his shoulder—seemingly excited by the close call.
We parried and after a few minutes it became painfully clear that I’d never defeat the professor with just magic alone. He was too strong. I had to disarm him or capture him in an unexpected manner.
