City of Mages

Chapter 1: Alara

Alara had never forgotten the smell of burning flesh. Smokey. Rich. Metallic. She felt it sear through her, filling her lungs, threatening to choke her as she watched the scene play out.

She had lit someone on fire. Again.

This was how she would fail the Haven. Fail Emaru. Fail everyone.

Time seemed frozen in the moment her fire magia had reached out to spark the flames across Raquel's tunic. The other magite stared, wide-eyed in horror as her sleeve was eaten into ash. Senye Emaru stood behind Alara, a firm hand on her shoulder, squeezing her hard enough to bruise.

She could have turned on her teacher. Yelled that it was her fault for pushing her—threatening to fail her out of school. But the councilwoman wouldn't have even flinched under her verbal assault. She'd only give Alara the same look of icy disappointment she gave countless times before when the girl had lost control of her magia.

So Alara did the one thing she trusted herself to do—she moved decisively forward, ripping her thin leather vest from herself and throwing it over Raquel's arm before the other girl even had time to scream. The heat and light of her magia immediately went out, throwing their small group back into darkness.

The night stilled again as they stared wide-eyed at Alara. It wasn't the first time her magia had failed her or the group. But it was the first in a long time that she'd accidentally set fire to something while trying to use her mind-stalking ability. She knew what they were all thinking: even a seven-year-old would have had better control.

It was Raquel who spoke first. "Alara! What in El'dyo's name is the matter with—"

"We will talk about what just happened later," Emaru said, putting an end to the hotheaded magite's complaints, though Alara knew she was less pleased with her. Her guardian and teacher's voice was biting — more biting than the chilled mountain air. "But for now, I believe we have company."

It didn't take Alara's mind-stalking abilities to know the enemy bruyas had spotted them, and were headed straight toward their huddle. Their footsteps were soft, but distinct in the silent night. The villagers of Hurazon had locked themselves away in their homes hours before, leaving Alara and the other magites guarding the perimeter in silence. It left the village eerie and quiet as they waited, even the faint buzzing of insects dampened by the thick air, soft and hushed.

The plan had been to sneak up on the bruyas and surprise them as they attempted to raid the outskirt village. There had been reports of bruya sightings in the area for the past few months, and Emaru had taken on the task as a final test for the magites nearing graduation.

Prove they could use their magia to protect the village and capture the rebel magia users, and they proved they could be full-fledged mages.

"For El'dyo!" Emaru whispered as the shadows in the cloud forest before them shifted.

The others repeated her words, raising their own weapons and arms. Alara threw her vest back on and snatched her wooden staff from the ground. The heat of her magia pulsed in her chest, as if still trying to reach out to the smoldering remains of Raquel's tunic. Her eyes met the other girl's for only a second and she saw a flash of fury. She was definitely going to hear about that later from the other girl. She probably owed her a new tunic.

Alara was snapped from her thoughts as an arrow whistled by her head, thudding into a tree a few yards behind her. A moment later, the world exploded. Balls of flame met jets of water. Steam hissed and danced in the air as the two collided.

Beside Alara, Raquel took up her bow and shot arrows into the chaos, her hand moving gracefully as she used her wind magia to aim and turn the arrows in unnatural ways. A few hit their targets—wind-filled crystalized receptives against skulls and wrists. Nothing deadly. The Haven didn't kill, even those who threatened their country.