A Class of Conjuring
Chapter 12 — Cassandra

I followed Dash into the woods, walking next to him but neither of us saying a word. Barbarus kept a pretty good pace for an older man. He never looked back, but seemed to be listening to our footsteps. Upon seeing Barbarus, I remembered viewing his picture on the wall in the Magic Museum. We were being trained by one of the best in the world, though his age seemed to be wearing on him. The campus definitely needed an influx of new blood.

Barbarus didn't really take my side back in the house, but I believed he understood the problem between Dash and me. His one question to Dash and his lack of a response to Dash's response said as much. I wished Dash could understand things could be better between us if he would knock down whatever wall he'd erected. I sensed maybe he'd been emotionally hurt by someone in his past, though I couldn't be sure and really didn't think it was my place to pry. Part of me believed maybe a woman had broken his heart.

Barbarus stopped in a clearing surrounded by forest, though in the distance I could see what I'd only read about in books: a magical circle and four warp gates. The gates looked like large stone pergolas and something stolen from Stonehenge.

"Over here," Barbarus said. His voice was raspy. He noticed me looking at the warp gates. "Nothing to be concerned about, yet." He pointed me to the center of the clearing and placed Dash several feet away. He was about to replace out if Dash's comments had merit.

The clearing was nothing special. Dirt and rocks made up most of the ground, and a few large boulders sat around the periphery of the clearing, nothing for me to damage. I guessed that was the real reason he brought us to the location. "The tests are simple exercises of your elements," Barbarus said. "I'm here to evaluate and improve your craft, not to use your past against you."

I knew his comment was for me and not Dash. "Okay," I acknowledged. I remembered what Oliver and Kyler had said about leverage, so I planted my feet and prepared for the first test.

Barbarus moved back several steps behind Dash. "Your first test is a simple fireball," he said.

"Not a problem," I said.

I raised my hands in front of me, my palms up, and concentrated, not wanting to fail in front of Barbarus and especially not in front of Dash. A small fireball appeared above each palm, and then my mind began to float, stealing my concentration. The fireball grew, each spreading beyond my hands. I knew it was happening, but I had no idea how to stop it. I'd had the same trouble at Wayfair City, Old Chicago, and the fae village. When the fireballs became too large to control, I heard Barbarus' voice.

"Calm, Cassandra. Will them back to size with your mind." His voice was soft but distant. "Easy. Easy. Breathe and control the magic with your mind, not your hands."

But it wasn't easy. Nothing about magic or my elements were easy. The fireballs continued to grow, and I began to wobble on my feet. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, but neither hand responded, threatening to embarrass me in front of my mentor and the guy who had said I would fail. "I can't hold them," I said. "They're going to explode."

"You can," Barbarus commanded. "And they won't. Hold them steady, Cassandra. You can do this." And then everything calmed. My shoulders relaxed, taking in an odd energy. The energy traveled into both my mind and hands. The fireballs simmered and shrunk until they were a normal size. I watched them in disbelief, moving each closer to my face and then moving them away. They were small and tight and deadly. I passed them between my hands and they remained small, steady, ready to be cast.

Still feeling a tiny amount of pressure against my shoulders, I turned to replace Dash behind me, his hands on my shoulders, sweat racing down his face, his eyes shut, neck strained. "Dash," I said in a whisper. "Dash."

Dash opened his eyes, the whites streaked with red veins. "Are you okay?" he asked, looking at the fireballs hovering above my hands. He nodded at the boulder thirty yards ahead, each a large target that would be hard for even me to miss. "Be careful, Cassandra. Concentrate and aim." He placed his lips close to my ear, and I thought he meant to kiss me. Instead, he gave me a warning. "Barbarus keeps looking toward the trees," he whispered. "Something's wrong." He nodded toward the right where something in the treetops moved.

"Okay," I said, but my mind could not tear itself from his hands on my shoulders or his lips next to my ear. Any other time the moment would have been heavenly, but I knew we were in danger. From the corner of my eye, I saw branches shudder and trees sway.

"Careful," Dash said again. "When you cast the spell, be ready to cast another at whatever is heading our way." "Edius?" I whispered.

"No, something else," Dash said. "A witch, maybe." He placed his hands on my arms as if helping me with the spell. "Steady. Remember, reload immediately." He stepped back.

I pulled back my hands, impressed I was able to stay in control. I placed all my concentration on the boulders, imagining them to be Edius. I thrusted my hands forward and the fireballs found their mark, exploding and setting the ground ablaze. I had little time to celebrate the small victory.

The sky darkened, and Barbarus suddenly raced toward us. He raised his hands and cast a spell, covering us with a protective dome. Through the dome, I could hear the witch cackle. We turned in time to see her cast a lightning spell at the dome. The dome disintegrated, and the lightning struck Barbarus, sending him flopping to the ground. He managed to cast his own spell at the woman, but she dodged the half-hearted spell. Barbarus moaned and writhed on the ground. I looked on in disbelief as one of the world's most famous wizards lay lifeless on the ground. We were on our own.

Dash tried to pull me into the woods, but I broke free, the fireballs in my hands tight and deadly, my confidence driving the desire to defend both us and Barbarus. With a precision I'd never had before, I slung both fireballs at the witch, knocking her wobbly. She cried out but quickly regained her composure and prepared another spell, glaring at me, seemingly stunned I'd actually hit her with my spell. Like us, she glanced toward the trees when another group emerged, their hands in attack mode. The witch cackled but didn't back down, reveling in the challenge. "I'm going to enjoy this," she said and cast a spell at my feet. She laughed hard and zipped cross the clearing. "Who's first?"

Rain and lightning suddenly burst from the sky above her, and then I heard Oliver yelling. He brought his hands down, and the lightning nearly hit the woman.

The witch cackled. "Best you got, little man?" she taunted.

Kyler moved in front of Oliver and blocked the witch's next spell with a slab of earth. She screamed at Kyler and darted away, returning with another spell.

Braeden was the first to block the witch's next spell, shielding me with a large sheet of light, temporarily blinding the woman. The witch scurried away but returned moments later, her eyes shielded. Braeden shoved his hand toward the witch, and a violent gust of wind blew her into the trees. Branches seemed to swallow her up, and for a moment we had a reprieve. We watched and waited, breath held, spells ready to be cast.

"We need to surround Cassandra!" Oliver yelled, and the four guys did exactly that, none hesitating at all. They understood my need for protection and understood they had been assigned to do so, each willing to give their lives for the woman they had a connection to.

The witch circled us in the air, studying her opponent, a group of Enchanted Academy students who were under their first real test. She swiftly swooped up and down, moving as if riding a roller coaster. She prepared another spell and as she cast the dark magic, Kyler grabbed a stick from the ground and swiped it across the dirt in front of us. A reverse waterfall of earth sprang upward, deflecting the witch's spell, sending it crashing into the trees. The witch cried out, disappointed yet preparing another spell. Once again, she had been bested by an academy student.

Oliver stepped behind the wall of earth before it began to fall. He cast his own spell, sending water through the dirt. A dozen mudballs soared toward the witch, half of them hitting her. Covered in mud, she disappeared into the trees, and everyone sighed.

"She's not finished," Dash said. "Stand ready." He turned to me. "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "You all saved me."

Dash shook his head. "We're doing what we swore to each other we would do if you were ever in trouble." He placed a hand against my cheek. "We will lay down our lives for you."

"Here she comes!" Braeden yelled from behind. He threw up his hands and prepared a spell, the intensity on his face like nothing I'd seen before. He was probably the reason I was still alive after all the mishaps.

The witch swooped in close to Dash and blew him a kiss, taunting us all as she dodged Braeden's gust of wind. Dash quickly cast another spell toward the sky, the fireball bursting in the clouds. For several seconds a cloud of fire floated before finally changing to Dash's intended creation. I watched in amazement as the flaming phoenix charged toward the witch, its massive wings blotting out the sun, its large beak opening and closing as it sang its battle cry. The witch tumbled to the ground, the phoenix atop her, clawing and biting. When she managed to kick the phoenix away, I wasted no time with my own spell, casting two fiercely wound fireballs in her direction. To my amazement both fireballs barreled into the witch, setting her ablaze. She cried out in shrieks of terror. But even more amazing, the witch cast a water spell and doused the flames. A small swirl of smoke rose from her head. Every time we thought we'd won the fight she came back better and stronger as if toying with our abilities. She was being driven by something greater than her own magic.

The tops of the trees rattled again, and Sarchi attacked from all directions. I raised my hands to unleash holy hell but found my palms empty. The witch cackled and stared me down. While the guys fought the Sarchi, I was left to watch the witch. She waved her hand toward the sky, and a bolt of lightning exploded overhead. A black horse appeared and swooped to the ground. The witch mounted the monstrous horse, and the creature reared to its back legs.

"I have done my master's bidding," the witch said to me while the others fought. "You will see him when the time is right."

I tried again to cast a fireball, but my magic failed me. The witch rode off into the sky and over the trees, her laugh echoing in my head. I had survived, but my magic had not. My life was no longer dependent on me; it had fallen into the hands of the four men I held dear.

Two Sarchi came speeding toward us, and Braeden quickly stepped forward, casting wind blades toward the charging monstrosities. The blades caught both in the torso, shredding them like cheese. I turned to see Kyler casting a spell into the trees. Two trees splintered and the shards of wood impaled three other Sarchi.

"Watch it!" Oliver yelled, and I turned. He quickly moved in front of me and created a wall of ice, causing three Sarchi to slam headfirst and dropping dead to the ground.

"Behind us!" I screamed.

Dash whirled on his heels, fireballs in his hands. He caught the last two Sarchi in the head. The flames engulfed the Sarchi quickly, and they shrieked in pain before dropping at our feet.

"We need to spread out," Braeden said, "and make sure they're all dead." He looked at me as they slowly moved away. For almost thirteen years he had protected me with his own life, taking me under his wing and teaching me all he knew about magic. And once again he'd saved me.

The four guys moved in four different directions, nudging the dead Sarchi. I raised my hands and tried to cast a spell. Nothing. The witch had stolen my powers and with those powers she'd stolen my confidence.

"Guys," I said, holding out my hands. All four turned. I started to show my powers were gone, but one of the warp gates glowed blue and suddenly Aurelius appeared. He watched us from afar and then disappeared, reappearing next to me, his face full of concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, and I nodded.

"My magic's been stolen," I said. "She took it." I looked at my hands and tried to conjure a spell. Nothing happened. I closed my eyes and concentrated, moving every bit of energy to my hands. Again, nothing. "It's gone."

"Any witch capable of taking down Barbarus is going to be powerful enough to take the powers of a student," he said. "We need to go."

I grabbed his arm. "Who sent her?" Aurelius looked at my hand, and I removed it. "I'm sorry," I said.

"You four," he said to the guys, "carry Barbarus back to his house before more Sarchi appear."

Braeden waved his hands, and a thin cloud swooped down. They lifted Barbarus from the ground and laid him on the cloud. Together, we accompanied the cloud back to Barbarus' home.

"I'm sorry we weren't there for you," Dash said as he walked next to me. A small cut had opened up beneath his chin. I reached up and wiped the thin line of blood away. "We should have done better." He nodded at my hands. "We'll get your powers back, I promise."

"Who was the witch?" I asked.

"She was sent by Edius," Aurelius said, and moved ahead of us.

"I'll fix this," Dash promised.