Chapter Two #2
Miles shrugged. “It’s been a rule for centuries, from what I understand.
Something to do with a Fae manifesting and accidentally hurting a lot of people when it happened.
” My face blanched, causing Miles to flutter his hands in front of me.
“Oh no, don’t freak out. It’s rare that someone manifests out of control, and that can’t happen on school grounds, anyway.
The campus is spelled to prevent anyone’s magic from hurting someone like that, and the Academy’s magic is pretty good at detecting those who might manifest in a dangerous way before they do. It helps prevent accidents.”
“That is not at all comforting.” I drawled, moving along with the crowd and realizing we were only a couple of students away from the dais. “How do you know all this if you’re from the human realm?”
“Oh, I’m not the first from my coven to attend the Academy, just the first in a long time.
I grew up hearing all about the place and how only the strongest of our coven was always selected by the school’s magic to attend.
” Miles’ cheeks tinted pink as he spoke.
“It was a big deal for me to be selected. My parents and coven leader think I’m going to be the one to restore our magic to its former glory. ”
I cringed. I couldn’t imagine the amount of pressure that had to put on Miles. “How old are you?”
“I just turned eighteen.” He replied before a woman in a long black robe motioned him toward the empty place in front of her on the dais. “Well, looks like it’s my turn. Good luck, B! I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
He gave me a small wave before moving in front of the woman.
She cupped her hands in front of her and muttered something I couldn’t hear.
Craning my neck to see around Miles’ body, I saw her puff her cheeks and blow, just before small bolts of electricity sparked from Miles’ fingertips.
The woman beamed at him and waved her hand, a manila envelope flying through the air toward her.
She caught it between her fingers and murmured something else to the boy that I couldn’t hear before handing it to him.
Miles turned back to me with a wide grin and another cheery wave before bounding off the dais toward the back of the cathedral.
The woman turned her attention to me, motioning for me to take his place. Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I stepped onto the dais and paused in front of her. Her eyes scanned me from head to toe, in a quick once-over.
“Sparkling, perhaps a bit of pixie in you.” She murmured, noticing the glitter that still graced my skin. “Your build would lend credence to the idea, but we shall know for certain momentarily.”
“Listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I am positive I don’t belong… wherever this is. If you could just tell me how to get home.”
The woman wasn’t listening to me, muttering something in a language I didn’t understand over her cupped hands.
“Really, I don’t want to waste anyone’s time.
I’m pretty sure there’s been a major mix-up somewhere.
I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut about everything I’ve seen here.
I just need to-” The woman blew on her hands, sending some sort of dust into my face, and I sneezed.
Flames burst from my lips, and my mouth fell open in shock.
“Not the typical manifestation for a fire mage, but I don’t sense any shifter in you.” She smiled as if she’d just given me a gift.
“What the absolute fuck did you just do to me?” I demanded.
“Now, dear, I’ve done nothing but uncover your magic.
” She smiled, patting my shoulder as a manila envelope flew into her other hand.
“I know it can be startling sometimes, especially for our students from the human realm, but you should be pleased. Fire mages are quite powerful once they learn to harness their magic.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not a mage. I’m not magical at all. I’m telling you, there’s been a mistake.”
The woman frowned at me. “No, dear. I assure you there has not. The school’s magic doesn’t make mistakes, and the test has shown you’re clearly a fire mage.
There is a map inside the envelope that now holds your house and room information.
It is spelled to show you the way. Hurry along now; there are more students who need to be tested. ” She said, shoving the envelope at me.
I sputtered in shock as she leaned around me to motion the next person forward in a clear dismissal.
With no other recourse, I looked around the packed cathedral and spotted the exit in the back, heading toward it as I opened the envelope she’d thrust into my hands.
Inside were a handful of papers. As I slid them out, I noticed a detailed map on top.
There was a red dot labeled with my name and dotted lines leading to a building labeled ‘Magus House’.
As my eyes scanned over the map, I realized there were no exits from the campus anywhere.
The archway I’d entered the grounds through with Mr. Scowly wasn’t even on the map.
“Fucking hell!” I muttered to myself before slipping through the back door of the cathedral. My eyes widened in shock as the red dot that represented me moved along the marked path on the map. “Guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.”