A Class of Conjuring
Chapter 29 — Cassandra

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, but not so slow I didn't realize things were coming down to me, Cassandra Clarke, the witch who seemed to always muck crap up when she cast one of her spells. In that moment, I remembered what Guildmaster Ren said about failing at the Enchanted Academy. I remembered what Headmaster Eliphas said about one more chance. So, I decided to channel all the bad into one last spell.

As I prepared the biggest spell of my life, Ruby cast her own spell, striking the crystal hanging around Challis' neck. Challis grabbed for the crystal but missed. The crystal crashed against the rocky floor and shattered, releasing both Braden and Dash's powers. The ring on my finger trembled as it felt the power of the five grow.

"She's hurt," Oliver yelled, jumping up and down, pointing at Challis. "We need more spells!"

"Fucking do something," Dash yelled at Oliver. Dash raised his hand and cast a stream of fire at Challis' feet. The witch jumped back and glared at him.

I could tell by the look on her face she was annoyed by Oliver and not afraid of him. She bounced a dozen fireballs at his feet and laughed as he danced around the hot balls.

Oliver calmed down long enough to cast another water spell, this time trapping Challis inside a water bubble. Challis broke her black magic conjuring long enough to burst Oliver's bubble. She looked wild-eyed at us, knowing her reign of terror was coming to an end, and started moving backward. As she did, we started moving forward. She had to be stopped in the dungeon and not be allowed to escape.

Challis raised her hands again, her eyes turning to a black abyss, and began conjuring the darkest magic a witch could create. She was going all in on one last spell, breaking all the rules of magic.

"What the hell is she doing?" Kyler yelled and threw up a protective dome around us; though, if Challis managed to get her spell off, I was sure it would both shatter the dome and end the battle. I looked at the rocky floor and walls and realized why Kyler had yet to cast an earth spell. There was no earth to use. Our powers were being limited by our surroundings.

We slowly moved forward, each of us casting spell after spell, the barrage throwing Challis off her game. She screamed, and the entire room shook. She tried to steady her footing, but Dash launched a wall of fire. Challis met it with her own wall of water, dropping Dash's spell to the floor.

I wanted Challis to stop. Wanted her to understand we had no other choice if she continued. "Challis," I yelled. "Stop."

Challis did stop. She looked at me, eyes full of hate, a hate for me I never knew a someone could have for another person. "Edius will have to understand," she said and went back to her spell.

Braeden stepped outside the dome of protection and quickly cast a wind spell toward the ceiling above Challis. Several large blocks dropped from the ceiling, but Challis managed to dodge the oncoming monstrosities. The rocks smashed against the floor and shattered.

Ruby jumped from the dome and called up another spell, her bolts of light dodged by a skillful moving Challis; though, the assault was preventing her from casting her dark magic. Challis cackled as if she was beginning to turn the momentum back in her favor. "Damn it!" Ruby yelled. "She's too fast!"

Challis sent a weak fireball toward Dash as he broke free from his cell. He ducked at the last second, and the fireball melted the bars of metal. He glanced at Challis, surprised she'd tried to kill him. Challis tried to rush forward, but a series of water spells from Oliver sent her flailing back.

I saw it in her eyes. The anger. The jealousy. The evil. The battle would be fought until us or her was dead. She sucked in a gulp of air and then blew tornado-strength wind our direction. Kyler threw up another dome of protection, but the wind was too strong, blowing us all to the ground. I sat up quickly and prepared to be hit again but not prepared to be defeated.

Challis raised her hands and conjured dark magic once again, the blackness between her palms calling on all the evil in the world, both alive and dead. Whatever she had in mind would essentially end our existence.

Dash suddenly reached out to me and grabbed my shoulder, the energy passing through to me and momentarily lifting me from the ground. When my feet returned to rock, the others placed their hands on me as well. We were either going to lose as a team or die as a team. I chose winning.

I recalled Aurelius creating the tiny balls of fire in his hands and saying size didn't matter.

"We believe in you," Dash said steadily. The others whispered their agreement.

I concentrated on the small fireballs, pulled my hands back, steadied my feet and thrust my hands forward. The tiny fireballs hit Challis directly in the eyes. Flames burst from the sockets, and Challis writhed to the ground, her screams like fingernails on a chalkboard. She managed to get to her feet, and that was when I remembered the white wand from Aurelius. I pulled it from the sleeve in my pants and pointed it at Challis, calling up the most powerful wind I could conjure. The wind shot forth from the wand and fanned the flames, still engulfing her.

The fire moved rapidly through Challis' body, consuming her in seconds, the five of us watching in horror. Challis reached out for us but then fell to the floor. It didn't have to end the way it did. We could have brought her to our side. That was really what I wanted.

"You did it," Dash said. He hugged me and patted my ass.

"We did it," I replied, watching Challis burn. It was like staring at a car wreck.

"Cassandra," Ruby said and placed her hand on my arm. "Cassandra. It's okay."

"It didn't have to be like this," I said. And it didn't. It could have ended peacefully. Watching Challis burn, I realized she'd only been a pawn in someone else's game. I still had a score to settle with Edius.

We started to move forward, but then the floor beneath Challis started to crumble. The rocks from the ceiling had worked a little too well.

"Oh shit," Braeden said. He grabbed my hand, always trying to protect me.

We backed away into the darkness and the hall with no exit. Moments later as the floor crumbled toward us, we hit the back wall. "There's only one way out!" Kyler yelled.

"What the hell is that?" Dash said and pointed at the aspen beginning to cover the walls, heading toward us.

"One last trap with compliments from Challis," Oliver said. "Our magic isn't going to work."

The floor continued to disintegrate, dropping into a chasm that looked to have no bottom.

"Hold hands!" Ruby said, and we did right before the floor collapsed. We fell, but not very far as we landed on our feet in front of the castle.

"What the hell happened?" Oliver questioned, none of us used to him using such language. He whipped around and looked at the castle as it crumbled inward. A cloud of dust rose toward the sky. "That was epic!" He turned to Ruby. "You've gotta tell us how you did that!"

Ruby laughed and made guns with her thumbs and index fingers. She blew them as if smoke was rising. "My teleportation spell," she said.

"Oh man, you gotta teach me that one," Oliver said and placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder. He realized he'd touched her and jerked his hand away. He turned red and then looked at me. I winked, and it calmed his growing nervousness. "That was intense."

"It's over," Braeden said.

"No," I replied. "It's not. She was working for Edius, and we're going to deal with him eventually. We need to continue our training and make sure when the day comes, we are ready." "She's right," Kyler said. "We don't let our guard down. It took the group of us to defeat her, and it'll take the group of us to beat Edius."

I didn't say anything about it, but felt defeating Edius was going to fall on my shoulders and my magic. He'd singled me out, though, he'd also made a point of talking to Ruby.

As we started back to the academy, I dropped back a few steps with Dash. "I'm really sorry that had to happen to Challis," I said. "I wish it didn't have to be that way."

Dash shook his head. "We're all responsible for our own actions," he said. "She was misled by Edius, but ultimately she chose her own fate. I'm just glad it was her instead of us." "You know what happened between Braeden and I?" I asked. There was no good time to talk about it.

"Yeah, I do," he said.

"You okay with it?"

He chuckled. "I'm sure he wasn't as good as I was. So, yeah, I'm good with it." He grabbed my ass, and then we caught up with the others. We never discussed Challis again.

We entered the dorms around midnight while everyone else was sleeping and headed to the room Ruby and I shared. The five of us, tired and needing sleep, sat on the floor in the living room.

"I need a shower," Oliver said, interrupting the silence.

Kyler tossed a couch pillow at him. "You needed a shower before we went to the castle." While everyone laughed, I noticed Kyler staring at me, the one guy who had yet to lay a kiss on my lips. I recalled the night we were sitting on the couch together, probably the one time it should have happened. It felt good to be next to him, warm and inviting. "There's something I need to ask you," he said to me, and everyone became quiet.

"I know," I replied. "Go ahead."

"You know we all have a connection to you," Kyler said. "A strong connection. So, it begs the question, are you ready for a relationship with all of us, treating us all as equals?"

All eyes and ears fell on me. It didn't take me long to answer because I'd already made that decision. "I am ready," I said, and Ruby hugged me. We'd talked about this very thing. She said go for it when it happened.

Ruby leaned over, placing her lips next to my ear, "I told you so."

"But I have a condition," I said. "A condition you each have to agree to." They nodded, and then I looked at Braeden and Dash. "Everyone has to get along, and nobody bickers. Including you two." They looked at each other and then started laughing. "Why're you laughing at me?" I demanded.

"That serious look on your face doesn't fit," Braeden said, and the two laughed again.

I frowned and then playfully shot forward, grabbing both guys and dragging them to the ground. I looked into their eyes and then looked at the others.

We were going to get along just fine.