The Mechanical Crown

Approaching thunder

"I mastered this five years ago," Neall said, "why are you making me do it again?"

"It is useful to demonstrate to Tarn what is possible," the teacher said.

Neall deflected another ball, this time sending it up towards the high ceiling. "So I'm doing this for his benefit."

They continued for several minutes, Tarn doing as he was told but feeling increasingly uncomfortable as Neall's unwavering, displeased grimace.

Then, after Tarn had thrown a ball, Neall returned it swiftly and without warning. Tarn fell to the floor, holding his nose in pain as the ball bounced away. As he took his hands away he saw his own blood on them.

"Throw another one," Neall said.

Scrabbling to his feet, Tarn picked up two balls and threw them. Neall pushed them aside and moved closer. Tarn threw again.

The second warning had been at Crowjun, the decimated village in the northern mountains. During the frantic battle against the mutated creatures, just as Kirya had suffered one of her fits, Tarn had noticed that slight blue aura lingering around them and the animals; he now recognised that as the footprint of source manipulation.

Becoming angrier with each deflection, Neall had moved closer and kicked out at Tarn, his boot connecting with more force than he thought possible. Tarn had flown backwards through the air as if pulled on a rope, colliding hard with the polished wooden floor.

The other students all stopped simultaneously to watch. Before the teacher could intervene, Neall had jumped onto Tarn and was pummelling him with his fists, each blow feeling like a punch from ten warriors.

After being initially dazed, Tarn became aware of a blue field of source flowing around Neall's fists, indicating where he was about to hit before he did so. Tarn dodged, then reached up and grasped Neall's shoulder, flipping him onto the floor and rolling them both over. It happened in a second, and Tarn found himself with his hand around the man's throat, outstretched, pointing fingers on his other hand poised above Neall's surprised and suddenly fearful eyes.

"Tarn!" came a shout, the voice pulling him back. He remembered the wet, dirty street in Treydolain, and the blood seeping into the cobbles, and the bodies. He blinked, and saw Kirya running towards him.

A moment later several teachers hauled him off Neall, who rolled to one side on the floor, gasping for breath.

Kirya reached him and touched his face, wincing. "What were you going to do?" she asked.

Looking over at Neall, who was being led away, Tarn didn't want to tell her the truth; that he'd been a moment away from scratching the student's eyes out and crushing his neck. "I don't know," he said. "He started it." He looked guiltily at her, wondering if she knew he was lying. "I'm glad you stopped it."

Footsteps announced Akila's arrival, followed as ever by Eris. "Come with us, please," she said, leading them both by the elbow.

"Where are we going?" Tarn asked.

"Aera wants to see you."

"I said putting him in with the others was a mistake," Eris muttered.

"Well, perhaps you were right," Akila snapped. "Either way," she continued to Tarn, "Aera is worried about how long all this is taking. We might need to change how we're doing this."

They left the large training hall and moved into the long, translucent corridors of the spire. Kirya stayed close, occasionally touching Tarn's back as if to remind him that she was there.

"We've intercepted other individuals who wanted to stop your ascension," Akila said. "I'm sorry we didn't identify Neall as a potential problem."

"We didn't anticipate such a...complex reaction to your arrival," Eris admitted.