Scarlet took the three steps down into the arena, keeping her eyes focused on the three masters, and not on the hundreds of people watching. If she did, she’d start sweating, and that would be it, just, completely the end of it. The master’s voice boomed out again.
‘Welcome to the Council. Today, you will fight for the freedom of your master, and yourself. Usual tradition would be for you to create a spell, and your opponent would have the opportunity to counter it. The magician that proves more powerful wins. However, the three apprentices standing before you have all claimed grievance, so you shall battle one after the other. You shall be judged from the best of three.’
The hall was silent for a moment, then conversations burst out all over. She turned, looking up at Martin, who shook his head and held his hands up. The journey here had exhausted him, his eyes barely open. There was no help there. Not that she needed it.
The three apprentices before him were, like, little boys. I mean, not actually, but the way they were acting, it was like the boys at school, only there was no way any of these guys had ever had an actual fight. She bit her lip, telling herself she believed she stood a chance. It was that or run away.
The grand voice filled the room again. ‘Do you have any questions?’
She shook her head, stepping closer, then held her hand up. ‘Sorry, there is one thing.’ She turned to look around the hall. ‘Don’t you lot have anything better to do, you know, homes to go to or anything?’
She was rewarded with a chuckle from the man on the platform, though most of the watchers glared at her.
‘Miss Slater, please, choose your first spell.’
‘Um, what, you want me to tell you what it is?’
‘Indeed. How else could one be expected to create a counter for it?’
‘Well, if this is a fight, then shouldn’t it be harder than that, like, they shouldn’t know?’
The assembled watchers gasped, like she’d walked into church and told them god didn’t exist. This was weird. She shook her head, the master staring at her, waiting. She threw up her hands.
‘Fine, fine, tonight, I shall be performing ‘for the creation of a spirit guide.’
The master nodded, as the three apprentices fell into a huddle, talking furiously amongst themselves. Scarlet took out her book, and found the page. She’d done this one with Martin a few times, and it felt good. Also, her spirit guide was cool, and owlish, and would make her feel good, assuming she got it right.
She spoke the words slowly, carefully, and as soon as she had finished, a cloud slowly coalesced before her. Martin said it coalesced. She thought it appeared, but apparently that was the right word. When she’d asked him what it meant, he pointed at the cloud and said. ‘That’s what it means.’
It began as a white dot, no larger than her thumb nail. Then strands of white and silver emerged from the dot, like threads waving in a breeze. As more and more appeared, they merged, forming a cloud. Once it was as large as her head, it took shape, the head of an owl appearing in the air before her.
The three apprentices noticed what she had done, and began shouting. ‘What, what’s going on, you can’t do that, we aren’t ready.’
She blinked, and jerked her head forward. ‘I’m sorry, you aren’t ready? Really? Well gee, I am sorry, honestly, so sorry.’
Her owl was almost complete. He wasn’t quite normal; his eyes were too big, and he had massive wings, but he looked cool. He was not quite transparent. She could see the vaguest shapes through him, but he felt solid as he perched on her hand. She threw him up and he spread his wings, circling around the hall, and diving toward the apprentices.
They scattered, one tripping over the steps and falling on his arse, the other two running, hands over their heads. She cackled, and she wasn’t the only one. A number of the audience were laughing as well. He circled and came back to land on her hand.
A clash sounded, like cymbals, and the master intoned. ‘Joanna Slater. You have failed the first conflict, due to your failure to follow the rules.’
The owl flickered, and vanished as she stalked across the ring to look up at the master. ‘What bloody rules, you didn’t tell me the rules. I won, fair and square, they didn’t do anything.’
The master shook his head slowly. ‘Once the challenger has declared her spell, the defender will have ten minutes, and no less, to prepare their defence.’
She looked at him, mouth open, shaking her head. ‘So what, one-nil to them then, yeah?’
The master nodded. She thought he maybe was trying not to smile, but whether it was with her or at her, she didn’t know. She wasn’t sure she cared either. That had been her best spell, the easiest thing she had. She shook her head.
Martin was watching her, brow creased, and he shrugged slowly. She bit her lip. It didn’t matter, she’d win the other two, easy. She had to.
She turned around, staring at the apprentices. They were talking still, throwing glances her way and laughing. Her stomach flipped over and she clenched her fists. Right.
She spoke loudly. ‘For my second trick, I will be performing, ‘for the making of light.’ She paused. ‘How long would you boys like to work out how to beat a sixteen year old girl?’
Next Installment Monday 23rd December
