Magelore Book 1: Smoke and Fire

Chapter 1

Akira

"Are you sure this is a school of magic? It looks more like half a giant ping-pong ball."
That was what I said when I first saw Magelore, the prestigious magic school my  father was sending me to.
"This is the school that taught your great-grandfather, the most powerful fire mage to ever exist," my dad said sharply. "Show some respect."
I sighed and stared back at the school. I had to admit, with the way the sunlight hit the giant glass dome, it did look pretty cool. Especially from up here, in my dad's personal aircraft. The huge hot air balloon was powered entirely by fire magic. The base was a large metal square with a furnace in the middle, a giant magical fire burning brilliantly inside it. The hot air from the fire rose up, lifting the red and orange balloon high into the clouds. I stared down at the mountains and the lake surrounding the school from the railing at the edge of the metal square. In the early morning light, it actually looked kind of... beautiful. I shook my head, trying to get the thought out of my mind. I didn't want to learn magic. Not after what had happened to my mom. I could have a better life. I could live in the city and sell my art and become famous...
But that wasn't what my dad wanted. It wasn't my family's legacy. Deep down, I knew I had to honor that, even if it went against everything I ever wanted.

As the balloon descended, I could see hundreds of people standing in front of the school. There were new students and their families, and teachers and their apprentices demonstrating magic for them. Bright colors flashed everywhere, blue water magic, green earth magic, and orange fire magic. As for the air magic, it was invisible, but I could see leaves and dust being picked up in the strong winds the mages were creating. 
"You see that man right there?" my dad said, pointing to an older man wearing a black robe over a maroon tunic. He had gray hair that flowed over his forehead in waves, and a short gray beard. Behind his circular, black glasses, I could see concentration in his eyes as he shot flames out of his fingers like orange and red fireworks, bursting loudly as the students watching cheered.
"What about him?" I asked my dad.
"His name is Corryn, and he was my teacher. Brilliant, but, well... eccentric."
"Eccentric?"
"You'll see."
There was a jolt as the balloon landed. My dad's servants opened the door and we stepped out onto the grounds of Magelore Academy of Elemental Magic. A small old woman wearing a long dress with a red flower pattern welcomed us with a smile as we stepped onto the shore of Lake Nebula. Nebula meant "fog" in Elven, the old language of our people, and the lake lived up to its name. Thick fog covered the entire surface of the lake, and it wasn't just any old fog, either. This was magical fog, enchanted by legendary air and water mages long ago. In the stories I'd heard as a little kid, there was valuable treasure hidden at the bottom of the lake, and that was why the mages had put the fog there. I'd always thought of the stories as myths. Silly little bedtime stories that helped children fall asleep at night. But now I wondered if there was any truth in those stories.
My thoughts were interrupted by the old woman speaking.
"You must be Akira." I nodded.
"I'm Ezmerelda Tide," she said, grinning. "You can call me Ezzie." Tide. A water mage. The most powerful mage families always had last names based on the type of magic they possessed. Less powerful families had what people called "neutral names," like my best friend from back home, Maximus Lee. My last name, Burns, meant I came from a fire mage family. One of the most powerful fire mage families in the world, to be exact.
"I'm the principal of the Academy," Ezzie said in a high-pitched, crackly voice.
"Nice to meet you," I said. I was trying not to show my anxiety, but my voice shook a bit as I spoke. Ezzie turned to my dad.
"Hello, Cade," she said, grinning at him. My dad sighed.
"Hello," he said. I could hear a hint of dislike in his voice. She must have been his principal when he went here. "I'll be leaving soon, but I expect Akira will be well taken care of?"
Ezzie sighed. "You know she will."
"And her partner will be...respectable, right? None of that low-class riffraff you're letting in this year?"
I winced at my dad's blunt tone. Every elf was assigned a partner, to help us with our magic, and it was no secret that my father was disdainful of the school letting any elf in.
Ezzie closed her eyes for a moment, clearly trying not to let her impatience into her voice. "Cade, Akira's partner will be the right partner for her. That's all I can say."
"Well...fine." He turned to me. "I'll miss you at home."
"I'll miss you, too, Dad."
"Hug?"
I turned and gave him a hug. "Alright. Bye, Dad."
"Bye, Akira."