The moment class ended Willow grabbed and dragged me away, ignoring the sneers of her classmates as we pushed our way through to the main corridor. A flurry of rustling uniforms and irritated mutters from students who attempted to get out of the way.
"Where are you taking me? What about the duel?"
"You expect to show up there empty handed?"
"...I've got my fists," I muttered out the side of my mouth as we exited the left section of the castle-like academy of Espora and followed a path that cut through a small courtyard, past a forested area, and ended at a large stone stadium.
Willow arched a brow, letting go of my wrist as we passed through the large archway—stepping through into something akin to a gladiatorial coliseum. Maybe not as medieval but there was a large dirt arena at the center and stadium seating that was covered slightly by triangular, layered pieces of colored fabrics.
"Woah..."
"We don't have time for this." Willow yanked me to her side, pulling me from my revelry.
"What kind of sport do you play here?" I asked too curious to be annoyed by her habit of dragging me around like an errant pet. "Wait, you don't have live executions here or something, do you?!"
"What? Of course, not! We're not barbarians!"
"That's hard to believe considering you're helping me prepare for a duel."
"You—how—" She blew out a heavy breath. "That's something else entirely."
She shushed me as the sound of voices besides our own echoed off the stone walls. With a quick shove, I was hidden behind a pillar and Willow behind another a few feet away. I peeked out, curious as to why we were hiding.
A group of boys dressed in some kind of sporting uniform passed by, about fifty feet from us. I spotted Tobias among them, a genuine smile on his face. His cheeks looked flushed and his hair was slicked back from his face with sweat. Still, there was something about him that had my stomach fluttering. I suppressed the urge to sigh like those love sick teens in all the movies I'd seen. I watched until they disappeared out of sight.
Willow waved me to her side after she peeked to make sure the coast was clear. I moved to her with a roll of my eyes. I got the feeling that perhaps she was being a bit more dramatic about this sneaking around than was necessary.
"You've got a bit of drool, just there."
She pointed toward my mouth and I slapped her hand away, a bit surprised by her teasing insult.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"For that."
She pointed to the door across the training arena.
There were a few students cleaning up. But most of the students were seated in the stadium seating, focused on the professor standing at the edge of the arena, explaining the proper way to build a shield.
"A door?"
"Not the door. For what's beyond it."
"And that is?"
"What we need. Come on."
Willow rushed across the open expanse, pausing behind each pillar for a beat before moving to next. I skittered after her, my heart beating a little faster as I began to realize that we were doing something that we shouldn't be. And her strange dramatics might be needed.
I didn't know what would happen if we got caught but I didn't think that detentions were something that they gave out in magical school and I didn't like the thought of possibly being turned into a toad or something.
I huddled beside Willow as she jiggled the door handle.
"Shoot! It's locked."
"That's too bad, guess we'll have to go then." I tried to feign being upset.
She ignored me as she waved her hand in front of the door, muttering under her breath. I heard the click of the lock and watched as she gave the knob another twist for good measure. This time the door opened, and she turned to me with a truimpant smile.
"Guess it just needed a heavier hand."
"Uh-huh."
There was no way anyone would believe that.
She opened the door wider for me.
"Get inside."
I glanced at the darkened opening, not feeling confident about what might be on the other side. On the other hand, I wasn't in the mood to get caught breaking the rules, for once. The sound of more voices prompted me to leap through the opening. The moment I stepped into the room it illuminated with light from above. I glanced up to see a large, ornate floating candelabra in the center of the room.
Willow brushed past me, door closing behind her.
"We need to hurry up. The first year's spell class will be out soon and we don't want to get caught snooping around by Professor Kline."
I lowered my face to find myself staring at the swords lined up on the wall in front of me, they looked dusty and unused. They were in varying shapes, size, and widths. A few spears and a couple of axes were set together in a corner.
"Why do you have a room full of weapons?"
"Because there was a time when students were taught to use them. Lore may be peaceful now, but it wasn't always that way. Now, pick one."
She stepped to the side.
With a sigh, I moved closer to the swords, the light overhead following my movement. Most of them appeared too large and heavy to be comfortable for me to use. It was a couple years since I stopped fencing and my body wasn't ready for the effort they would require.
I reached out and ran a finger over the flat edge of a thinner blade, wiping away a layer of dust and rust. It was easy to imagine what Laurel would say if I showed up with any of these monstrosities.
I was beginning to regret that I let my temper get the best of me. Willow was a tough girl and didn't need me to defend her honor. I'm sure she was used to all that teasing before I showed up and would have to deal with it once I returned home. I reached up and rubbed my forehead, frustration settling over me as I continued to skim the wall.
My gaze focused on a familiar shaped sword near the spears and axes. It seemed the right size and weight, but it was the intriguing, glittering handle that caught my eye. I approached it to get a better look. The handle was jewel encrusted, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. More than a little flamboyant but it was the only one I knew I could maneuver the best without looking like a complete idiot.
"These can't be real..." I touched a diamond. A strange eletric zap stung my finger and I pulled back like it burned me. The tingle still reverbrating in my hand.
Willow stepped over to me as I took it off the wall.
"The Rapier? Perfect for a duel. Good eye, Charlotte."
I lifted a brow.
"You know about weapons?"
"Not more than I've read in books. I've never needed to use anything other than my wand."
She took the sword from me and laid it down on the ground between us. A moment later, she pulled her wand from her pocket.
I moved closer to her. "What are you doing? Isn't your wand restricted right now?"
"I can't cast any high-level spells, but enchanting this blade with a simple protection spell should be something I'm still capable of. Which you should be thankful for," she muttered in annoyance.
I couldn't tell if she was still upset with my agreeing to the duel or the fact that I brought up the issue of her magic being restricted. Willow cast a look towards me.
"You probably want to stand back..."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not entirely sure I won't blow you up if the enchanting spell is too high a level."
That was enough for me to take five large steps away from her. I'd survived being pulled through a dimensional hole. I wasn't about to tempt my fate any further than that.
She began to mutter words under her breath, drawing strange shapes with her wand which was glowing blue in color. Awe overtook me as the sword levitated off the ground, the images she had drawn glowing a brilliant orange then red and sinking into the blade itself before it floated back down to the ground again.
"That was amazing. And nothing exploded."
I didn't see why people seemed so critical of Willow's abilities. Of course, I couldn't overlook the fact that she accidentally summoned me. Maybe she was just good with the small stuff.
She tucked her wand back into a pocket of her cloak, grabbing the sword off the ground.
"I don't know if it'll be enough to beat Laurel, but it should be enough to keep you from any serious injuries. All you need to remember is the magic word to activate the enchantment."
"Is it please?" I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Willow gave me a flat look as she handed off the sword to me. That strange eletric tingle rushed up my arm and settled in my chest. I stared down at the sword, frowning. It must be something to do with enchantment.
"Enough gawking. Let's go." Willow turned and walked out of the room.
*
A much larger crowd had gathered than I expected, a wave of what I could only name stage fright rushed through me. I tightened my hand around the hilt of the sword, the jewels digging into my palm.
"So, you're sure this magic word is all I need, right?"
"It'll work. You remember the word?"
"I remember," I muttered.
My gaze shifted over the large burnt elm, black bark and twisted empty branches, the only tree in this courtyard. Laurel was wearing the same smug expression she wore that morning as she stepped away from her friends as we approached.
"I figured you'd run away by now. I thought Willow had talked some sense into you."
I wasn't sure if she was excited that I had shown up or was upset. She was hard to peg down.
"I gave my word. Here I am. So, are we going to do this or what?" I tried to sound bored but I was on high alert as I scanned the tall witch.
She wasn't wearing a hat anymore, her hair hanging loosely around her face. The angles of Laurel were as sharp as her tongue, it gave her that cruel aristocratic appeal. Her lips twitched.
"Somebody is eager for a beating," she said, louder than necessary. Clearly, trying to attract attention to us.
A few people in the crowd chuckled at her words as if they were clever. They weren't. She was a cookie cutter villain if there ever was one. I flexed my grip on the sword as she undid the button on her cloak, handing it off to one of her minions to hold.
"The rules to the duel are simple. This is between you and me, which means involvement from outside forces will automatically end the duel and count as a loss. Beyond that ...the first person to call out mercy is the loser. Ready, Human?"
"Charlotte."
She lifted her brows at the sharpness of my voice.
"My name is Charlotte, not human. I'll make sure you remember it by the time we're done here."
I lifted the sword in front of me, pointing it at her as I spread my feet apart to anchor myself. Laurel's eyes sparked with determination as they flicked down to my sword then back to my face.
"Talking big will get you nowhere."
She leveled her wand at me, lips thinning as she called out, "Ingis."
There was a loud crack as her wand sparked to life with the power of her word. My heart sped up as a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, connecting with the tip of her wand before shooting in my direction.
"Defendo. Defendo. Defendo." I whispered under my breath.
The blade glowed orange as Willow's enchantment was activated, a warmth surging up my arm. Then with all rusty skill, my body moved as if it had a mind of its own, slashing through the air to parry the bolt of magic that Laurel sent at me.
The two forces collided, the metallic twang of the blade ringing in my ears as it repelled her spell. I stared in shock for a moment, surprised that It had actually worked. Damn, Magic was no joke.
Laurel's surprise wore off quickly and her gaze narrowed, focusing on Willow behind me. "Clever idea, warding the sword. Let's see how long your enchantment can stand up against my magic."
With that, she unleashed a tirade of power, spells of every sort were sent flying in my direction. An explosion of colorful lights. People in the crowd backed away in fear of getting caught in the crossfire.
Sweat was rolling down my face as I let the sword lead my body, blocking each of her spells. My muscles were beginning to quiver as exhaustion set in, but I didn't want to give up. Wasn't there some kind of limit to how many spells one could cast?
"I can see you're tired. Just say Mercy and this will all be over."
"You first."
I was breathing heavily, at this point.
Laurel sneered at my insolence, throwing her hand forward with violent intent. "Angor!"
My body moved to block, but not quick enough. The spell caught me, singeing my wrist, sending pain like I never knew racing up my arm and into my chest. I cried out as I flung my arm away from me in distress, attempting to shake off the effects of the strange spell.
The sword slipped from my hand. I turned, watching as it flipped over itself a couple of times before sticking its landing a few feet away. I stared at the wobbling metal that was now stuck in the ground. Now, much too far away to be of use.
Laurel fixed a victorious grin on her face as she realized that I was without any form of protection.
"It was a good effort but you're only human and completely out of your league."
She flicked her wand toward me.
"Aduro!"
A black bolt of light raced towards me, time seeming to slow down. Willow hollered from behind me, shoving her weight into my body and pushing me out of the way. There was no way she could block whatever spell that Laurel cast with her wand in its current state.
A moment of panic gripped me as I stood hopeless, watching the consequences of my big mouth. I didn't want to be helpless. I wanted to do something. I wanted to make it all stop.
The blade was now within my reach. I grabbed hold of the hilt. The moment my hand wrapped around the hilt, a shockwave rippled through me and my vision was washed out with a brilliant white light.
It surged around me and I was certain that I must have died and this was the light everyone always talked about. It was a lot brighter than I imagined it would be. I lifted my other hand and blinked against the brightness as my eyes slowly adjusted. The world suddenly came back into view, I was standing in the same place. In fact, everything was exactly as it was moments before. My brows furrowed as my hand dropped back to my side.
The only change was I stood inside some kind of shield, the dense bubble of white light seemed to be keeping away whatever hex Laurel had fixed for me. Outside, the stunned faces of the onlookers were all I saw. I was just as stunned as them. I turned to see that Willow was wrapped in the bubble beside me.
"How are you doing this?"
She shook her head, eyes wide as she met my gaze.
"It's not me."
"Then who?"
I searched the crowd, looking for someone who might have taken pity on us.
"I think..." Willow's voice grew softer. "I think you're doing this."
I turned to her in disbelief.
"Me? How is that even possible? human, remember?"
I watched her brows furrow and reached out a hand, planting it against the shielding bubble, testing it.
"I don't know. But my enchantment was not capable of anything like this, I assure you."
Another blast of dark magic hit the shield and a sharp pain radiated in my chest at the moment of impact. I dropped to my knees, hand pressing into the ground below me.
"Charlotte?!"
Willow dropped down beside me, hands gripping my shoulder.
Laurel seemed angrier because somehow we stopped her.
"You're cheating. This is between your human and me, Willow. Butt out!" She was completely unhinged at the moment, eyes wide as she unleashed her dark magic. It was burning through me as it began to break through the shield. It was as if it were an extension of my body.
"Stop, Laurel! You're hurting her," Willow yelled.
"Good! Maybe you'll both learn your lessons if I leave the human with a few scars!" She yelled back as she threw more dark magic. The shield shattered into glittering fractals falling to the ground around us.
Willow let out a sharp yelp as the spell hit her in the shoulder, knocking her onto her back. I twisted, breathing heavily as I took in the sight of her gritting her teeth against the pain. I tossed a look toward Laurel as she reared back, a mask of bitterness written on her face. I put myself in front of Willow, using my body as the shield as another bolt of dark magic crackled through the air.
Using the sword as an anchor, I threw out my other hand, catching the brunt of the spell. It licked my skin like flames, blistering and turning it red. I gritted my teeth as it spread up my arm.
A strange ice surged through the hilt of the sword and into my hand, filling my body. The two opposing forces raging within my body. I gripped the sword tighter, pulling more of the strange ice sensation into myself. It appeared to be what I needed to overpower the spell.
I used all of my strength to close my hand around the black ball of power, crushing it into nothing. There was a collective gasp from those still watching.
I stared up at Laurel, her eyes wide with shock.
"Go to hell, witch bitch..." I wheezed out as I collapsed into the dirt and lost consciousness.