WaterMage Rising

Chapter 17

Selena whirled to confront the unwise person who would soon regret messing with her. On a good day, Selena had little patience for nitwits. Now, when she wanted to return to her stateroom and look over the file she'd copied about the lost relics of Oberon, her tolerance was nonexistent.

Lifting her gaze to the landing above, Selena caught sight of not just one, but three of the girls who had partied with Olivia at the sail away.

They all had long, shiny, curly hair, and they all wore floral sundresses and cute sandals. In comparison, Selena felt positively frumpy in the work-appropriate navy jumpsuit and blazer she'd conjured. At least she'd spelled her hair thick and wavy and had done her makeup this morning. Putting an effort into her appearance had given Selena a confidence boost, so she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in defiance. Their smirks faltered as Selena stared them down.

"As much as I love talking to random people I don't know in stairwells, I'm not sure you deserve an answer. Maybe if you hadn't gone around slamming doors and all, I might have more to say to you beyond pointing out that I'm obviously going somewhere." Selena paused and tilted her head to the side, as if considering. "Nah, not even then."

The girl on the left gasped, her face a mask of outrage. "Rude. Of course, Olivia said that was like your defining characteristic, but we were trying to have a friendly chat."

"Friendly chats don't start with door slamming. Anyway, save it for someone who cares enough to play. I've got better things to do." Selena didn't wait for a response before unleashing a torrent of her water magic, which burst from her kamea like a rushing river. The glowing blue rapids washed away the green barrier blocking the door in front of her as if it were nothing.

"Not so fast." The girl on the left threw a jet of fire that hurtled past Selena in a whoosh of heat. It struck Selena's water magic, unleashing a hiss of steam and settling over the door like a flaming orange-red shield, faint against the rippling blue. "We have a bone to pick with you."

Selena smirked. If this girl were trying to outmaneuver her water magic, she would lose. The fire spell soon fizzled out, doused by Selena's water. The other girl raised her kamea to try again, and this time Selena was prepared. Faster than the other girl could fire off her spell, Selena sent her water magic curving upward in an arc, and with a flick of her wrist, she guided it high up and over the girls before letting it fall onto them, drenching them in an icy shower.

"Oops," Selena said, mimicking the snicker of the girl who'd slammed the door shut. If they wanted to mess with her, they would have to do better than that. "Unless you want me to pick your bones, you should quit now."

Selena pulled the handle and yanked open the door, keeping her eyes on the girls in case they tried some other nonsense. It occurred to Selena that a stairwell was a particularly dangerous place for a duel, and she wanted out of here before this turned into one.

"You don't have to go all psycho freak on us," the girl on the right spluttered, her teeth chattering. "Ladies, let's teach this loser a lesson."

A tendril of earth magic whipped toward her from the tallest girl in the center. The vine snagged her feet before Selena had time to react, and she was lifted off her landing and suspended over the stairwell. Upside down, Selena glimpsed the bottom of the stairwell as it swung into view, a dizzying and terrifying eleven decks below. The back of her head smacked against a railing as she yo-yoed, making her see stars. She cried out in pain and shock.

Fighting back panic, Selena lassoed the nearest railing with a vine of earth magic and pulled herself over the railing to safety. She crumpled to the steps in an ungraceful heap.

"Hey! We're sending a message from Olivia, not trying to kill her," one of the other girls protested.

"Relax. Who said anything about killing?" The girl in the center replied, and as Selena pushed herself up to stand, she could hear the derision dripping from that hateful voice. "This girl did something, we don't know what, to scare Olivia. I say it's her turn now to be scared. What was it Olivia said they called her at her school? Oh, right. Slimy Selena."

Still dazed and in pain from the blow to her head, Selena reacted too slowly to stop the earth magic snaking toward her as the other girl advanced down the steps, footfalls muted by carpet but no less threatening.

Glistening vines wrapped themselves around Selena, oozing some sort of slimy substance. The more Selena fought against them, the tighter they constricted, until they encased Selena in a slime-filled cocoon. The stuff got into her mouth and nose, choking her, and she couldn't move, couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

She heard a door open somewhere nearby, followed by the sound of running footsteps. They were just going to run away and leave her here like this. She was going to die. She'd suffocate before they released the spell, and she would never find out what was in the file.

"What the blazes did you do?" Olivia's muffled, but enraged, voice pierced the cocoon. A moment later, a fiery cord wrapped around the cocoon, making the cocoon shriek and fall away from Selena. Freed from her slimy prison, Selena gagged and coughed as she expelled the icky substance from her mouth.

"I gave her a little taste of her own medicine. No biggie."

"Kelsie, sliming someone almost to death is a big deal." Olivia glared at her chief crony, hands on hips.

"It was harmless earth magic. I was going to let her out of there. Eventually." Kelsie had the gall to smirk, and, Incensed, Selena summoned her own earth magic.

"Harmless, is it?" Selena snapped. "Let's see if you think so after you've had your turn."

"Enough!" Olivia turned her frosty stare on Kelsie, making the taller girl quail. Olivia shot another blast of fire magic, this time at Kelsie's dress. The dress burst into flame, then turned from a vibrant, colorful floral print into a dull, charcoal black. Kelsie pressed her hands to her mouth and gasped when she saw the change in her dress."Get out of here before I do worse."

Admittedly, the dress prank and Kelsie's drama queen reaction was kind of amusing, so Selena let her own magic fizzle out. For now. She'd have her revenge later.

After the three cronies fled, Olivia sighed. "I'm sorry about those three. I never should have told them anything about us, about school."

Selena's amusement faded, replaced by cold fury at the reminder of why this attack happened to begin with. "But you did."

Olivia's eyes widened. "I never asked them to do this. This is awful — I never meant to set them on you. They're as bad as those bullies at school, if not worse."

"Whatever," Selena scoffed. "I don't believe you."

"And I didn't believe you when you told me you didn't tell my secret, but I realize now that you were telling the truth. I'm so sorry, Lena."

"Save it," Selena hissed. "I don't care." Spinning on her heel, she stalked off. Even though she had an excruciating headache, she cleaned herself off with air magic and headed straight to her stateroom. She had waited long enough to find out what was in the file she'd copied.