Three
The first day of classes could not have been more brutal.
Kamine already sported bruises from combat class. The pink haired woman from dinner—who she now knew was named Roz—had not been gentle during sparring, when they were paired up. Apparently, she had been training for this from a young age. Her father had given her her first black eye, which she’d worn proudly. During their one-on-one practice, Roz got a few hard hits on Kamine before the professor pulled her back, preventing Roz from killing Kamine on the spot. Janina had laughed at Kamine’s battered appearance, while her own lips were split, and stained with blood.
Even though they were allowed to wear protective armor during their Undertaking, the professor did not allow them to wear it during class.A way to grow a hard shell, she’d said. Hence, Kamine had been forced to wear a thin layer of clothes that were too tight on her body like the rest of the cohorts. The black material was foreign to her skin. She had to keep from constantly crossing her arms to cover herself. She alreadymissed the flowingness of her usual linen dresses. She missed the outside air, too.
Now, they entered the classroom where they would learn how to perfect their magic, and make it more precise. At least, that’s what the others would be doing. Kamine would just aim to do something,anything,with abilities meant to be innate, but for her were stubbornly withheld.
There was nowhere to even sit in the cavernous room. It was just a large room with a few rocks, ready to be manipulated. Kamine swallowed down her nerves. Perhaps she could hide in the back and avoid detection.
Janina and Zoya had given her curious looks all day, but did so especially now, as if they anticipated Kamine being so confident with her powers that she would want to show them off. She even heard rumblings from some of the cohorts that they were excited to see her in action—to see what the offspring of a previous Undertaking winner could do.
A tall figure walked through the door, his pace swift, but unbothered by their presence. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his black slacks, and he didn’t even greet them before he started speaking.
“All of you in this room will fail your Undertaking,” he said so simply, with little emotion or care. His white shirt was unbuttoned, and Kamine could just make out two black spots on his clavicle. It was a common tradition that Undertaking participants had stones lodged into their flesh as a reminder of what they had survived.
The man then stared right at her, and Kamine tried not to shrink back at the assessing gaze of his practically black eyes—like two orbs of darkness that could suck her into oblivion. He rubbed his beard, but stopped when he noticed his action.
Kamine recognized the man was the one she had bumped into when she had first arrived. His dark hair was pulled back looselyin a bun, and his rolled sleeves revealed his large, toned, veiny arms. He was aprofessor? Aside from his clothes, he looked like he belonged in the infantry, not here.
He paced the room, his hands behind his back. “None of you have the skills needed to save your village yet, which is why over the next few months, I, Professor Grimot, will break you and reform you into the winners you so desire to be.”
Lycaster, whose shaved head had a large scar on it that strangely resembled a hawk, boasted, “My private tutors told me I’m good enough to win it all already.”
Kamine prepared for the worst, but the professor didn’t utter a response. No one in the room moved, the silence settling so deeply that Kamine could have sworn she heard the wind roaring from outside.
All of a sudden, a storm of small pebbles rocketed across the classroom, hitting them all. They ducked, covering their faces in an attempt to shield themselves. Someone whined about one rock hitting their eye. When Kamine unfurled herself from the danger, she saw how the strength of the professor’s powers was enough to draw blood on herself and others.
The professor stepped up to Lycaster. “If you’re so ready, why do you have cuts all over your skin? Someone who was truly skilled would have anticipated the attack, and would have been on the defensive.”
Lycaster spit on the ground, while the professor smirked. Professor Grimot then addressed the whole class. “Anytime one of you speaks without permission, you will all be punished. I don’t have time for childish behavior.”
No one said a word, but they all got the message.
“Let’s test your current abilities.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket. He read it carefully, and Kamine knew the exact moment his eyes landed on her name.
“Kamine.” The cohort parted, revealing her from the back. She supposed hiding wouldn’t last forever. “Let’s see if that magic from your mother was passed down.”
Kamine opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her. “I didn’t give you permission to speak. Do you want more pebbles thrown at you?”
Kamine sullenly stalked to the center of the room. She flexed her hands as if that would finally help her powers come out, as if she hadn’t tried that same tactic hundreds of times before.
He picked up a rock and tossed it to her like he would a ball. She at least caught it with her hands.
“This is magic class, not a game of fetch. I expect you to use your powers.”
He picked up another and threw it harder this time. It hit her in the arm. She flinched slightly, but kept the reaction to a minimum.
“Again,” he said, practically savoring her embarrassment. Her cheeks became rosier with each throw that she couldn’t stop. He ambushed her with rocks that were bigger and thrown with more force. One hit her square in her chest. She stumbled slightly, needing to adjust her glasses as they slid down her nose. He hit her face right as she did, and the glasses fell to the ground. He was now just a blurry figure. Still, Kamine kept quiet, despite the panic rushing through her system. Her heart beat at a rapid pace, and she knew it wouldn’t slow down unless she got out of this situation entirely.
“This isn’t fair!” Janina shouted from the crowd.
Before anyone could blink, pebbles rained down on them all, again. Curses and yelling sounded from the cohort.
“I don’t have time for amateurs who can’t even stop a fucking rock from hitting them when they expect it. What are you going to do once you're in the Undertaking, and boulders are comingdown at you and your village? What are you going to do when so many lives are at stake?”
Kamine didn’t know. That was the problem. She had hoped one of her professors would be willing to discuss what her options would be. That seemed very unlikely now.
