A Class of Conjuring
Chapter 8 — Dash

I'd probably stopped her from dying. And by doing so, our connection grew stronger. I saw it in her eyes and felt it in her touch when she brushed my hair away from my face. The hug should have been a kiss, but at the last second, I changed my mind. Growing close to someone meant I could be hurt again, and as much as I liked Cassandra, I didn't know if I wanted a repeat of my ex-girlfriend. You could put the past behind you, but not even magic could rid the memories. The bet I'd made with the guys had been a foolish one. I didn't really see Cassandra as some kind of reward or trophy. But, to be honest, I was struggling with the feelings I was having for her. Everyone felt the same attraction to Cassandra and, we guessed, she felt the attraction to all of us. I was playing hard to get in hopes maybe she would replace it an attractive quality. The things we wanted the most were usually the hardest to get.

Whenever she started to ask me about past girlfriends, I quickly diverted the conversation. It was a past I didn't want to relive. The pain was too real and too devastating. I went all in on someone, and that someone betrayed me. So, I built a wall and had reinforced it every day since. But I was also a guy. There were nights when I escaped the walls of my guild or the academy and went into town to hang out places people my age hung out. It was places like those I could have fun and not have to get close to anyone. Of course, I'd met girls in those places, mostly bars, and we had a little fun and then we'd go off to their place or replace some out of the way location to have even more fun. I always made sure I ended up with a girl who wanted no commitment. It was just easier that way. You left that night or the next morning and neither had their feelings hurt. But now my emotions were leading me back down the path I never wanted to walk again. I stopped at the dorm entrance and waited for Kyler, knowing I could bounce some things off him. He got me. Understood where I was coming from and knew all about my past. Even someone like me needed to confide in a friend. I wanted to tell him about the adrenaline rush I got from the day's combat. He would think it came from battling Nicolette, but the truth was it came from protecting Cassandra when she was hurt. When I wiped the blood from her face it was a symbolic gesture. I would always be there for her. The rush from helping someone, especially her, was new to me. I'd saved other people, especially when we were on missions to rid places of monsters or black magic, but now I had a deeper sense of meaning when it came to doing those things. I was no longer helping others for the sake of the battle. I was doing it because it gave me a sense of pride.

I waited for nearly thirty minutes and decided Kyler wasn't going to show. I hoped maybe he'd gone down behind the arena where the three of us sometimes met. It seemed like the only place we could talk freely without worrying about wandering ears and eyes. The servants stayed away from the area. It was also the place we met with our mentor to get in some extra training without others seeing us hone our skills. Between the three of us, there were no other students at the academy anywhere near our skill levels. Even the students in the advanced classes steered away from us. Individually we could maybe be beat; as a whole there was no way.

When I got to the arena, Kyler and Oliver were working with Aurelius.

Aurelius, the mentor we shared with Cassandra, was once a high ranking archmage, but for unknown reasons, at least to us, he was dismissed from The Council he served for thirty years. He did tell us he believed Edius had something to do with his removal from the council. We figured his displeasure with the council was the reason he did things to help us out that most other instructors would never consider, like the extra training and sharing of spells. In return, we treated him with ten times the respect we did anyone else. And, to be honest, Aurelius was like the father I never had. He didn't mind talking to me about things outside magic or the academy. He didn't share much about himself, but I certainly shared about me. We talked a lot about Cassandra and about the connection we were all feeling. He asked me what I would do after the four years at the academy, and I told him I had no idea. He suggested a stint in the far east, maybe spending time with the monks of the Himalayas. He said they were able to do things no other witch or warlock could do. But then he told me I would have to shave my head and cook my own food and meditate a lot. I told him the lifestyle wasn't for

me.

He also took a great interest in Oliver and Kyler, also being a father figure to them. We asked him why, and he stated because his father left him and his mother when he was ten. He had nobody to show him the ropes. Nobody to help him harbor his magic. He didn't want us experiencing the same thing. So, he went above and beyond the expectations of the academy. We were his star students.

I stood behind a tree and watched Kyler and Oliver spar with Aurelius, the two struggling with our mentor who looked to be amused. But even as I watched them struggle, I knew Oliver had a plan up his sleeve. His brain worked like one of his computers, constantly processing, constantly calculating his next move. They were also the brothers I never had. I wasn't sure where I'd be without them. While Kyler had Aurelius preoccupied, Oliver cast a water spell, encapsulating Aurelius who didn't look a bit surprised by the move. Aurelius playfully bounced around inside the bubble, destroying a Taylor Swift song we often heard him singing when he thought nobody was around.

Oliver nodded happily at Kyler and then added a freezing spell to the bubble. The bubble began freezing, and Aurelius stared outward in boredom as if he were lazily spending time at home piddling around. He saw me and winked. "Enough," Kyler said. The concern on his face was unnecessary.

"I'm not hurting him," Oliver replied. "Look at him. Ya can't even see him."

"He can if he looks over here," Aurelius said, standing beside me almost causing me to piss my pants.

"Scared the crap out of me, Aurelius," I said, making him laugh. That was the other thing. He seemed to get great joy out of our sometimes-comedic lives.

The look on Oliver's face was one of disappointment, thinking he'd finally beaten our mentor. He said his ultimate goal was to one day beat Aurelius in a duel. He meant it with deep respect. With a smile, Aurelius told him to respect his elders. "Your ego caused you to lose concentration," Aurelius said to Oliver. The two of us joined Oliver and Kyler. "Though you did well combining ice and water. The bubble would have held most anyone."

"Your singing burst the bubble," Oliver said and we all laughed, the comedy Aurelius enjoyed.

Aurelius moved away. "Dash," he said. "Try me. Show everyone what you've learned."

What we learned was to never fight with Aurelius. He would often turn us into a mouse or a jackass or even a fish out of water, laughing as we flopped around.

"Okay," I said and backed away. I faced Aurelius and then, as fast as my hands would move, shot fireballs at him.

Aurelius, though much older, melted the fireballs as they approached. When the last one approached, he caught it and flung it back at me. I caught the fireball, tossed it in the air and destroyed it with a second fireball I created while the other was still rising. Aurelius clapped. "You fight with passion," he said and brought us together. "Always fight with passion and never with anger." He then sent Kyler and Oliver into the clearing.

The two of us watched as Kyler and Oliver battled one another, neither ever gaining the upper hand. Kyler even tried shapeshifting, using his wolf speed to avoid spells and counterattack with his own spells. Kyler's agility increased tenfold when he was a wolf. Oliver, expecting the move, called into the woods, using a wilder spell to call for a bear. Kyler tangled with the bear only momentarily before defeating Oliver's spell and making the bear vanish. When Kyler returned to his human form he laughed.

While the two continued tormenting each other, I decided to press Aurelius about the situation with Cassandra. "You're absolutely sure Cassandra is the one we must protect from Edius?" I asked. I let go of his arm, not realizing I'd grabbed it. Being awestruck by Cassandra was making us act stupid.

"Such passion for the young witch," he said. "I knew she'd grow on you. The others too. She's a fine young woman who needs the assistance of you fine young men." I thought he might go into some story about his youth and a woman he once loved.

I shook my head, frustrated at the things I didn't know. Frustrated at the strange feelings rising for a woman I hardly knew. "She doesn't seem like she'd be a threat to Edius. And if she is, why'd he wait until she joined the academy? Why not take her out where it's easier outside the academy?"

Aurelius leaned on his staff. "We have ways of hiding people," he said. "We kept him from her for as long as we could. Now that she's old enough, and her powers are almost where they need to be, we decided to bring her here, hoping with your help we could keep her safe." He placed his hand on my shoulder. "The more of us there are the better we can protect her." He pointed at Oliver and Kyler. "Those two won't be able to move tomorrow."

"Yet this Edius continues to steal powers from students," I said and walked away.

Aurelius sighed and returned to campus, leaving us behind to practice our powers. Kyler joined me, Oliver leaving for his next class.

"He really thinks we can all protect Cassandra?" Kyler asked. "I don't understand why it takes so many to protect one person from one other person." He could tell I was struggling with something. "You know we're as attracted to her as much as you are, right?"

"I get that, Kyler, but I have no interest in being hurt. You know this." I shot a fireball through the trees, another forming from anger in my other hand. I calmed my anger, and the fireball faded. I'd put everything into my ex. I just didn't see myself doing it again. Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice.

"I've been thinking," Kyler said. "If we're going to defeat Edius, we need to get Oliver's skills equal to ours. I'm afraid if he's not careful he'll replace himself turned into a Sarchi. We also need to get Braeden on board. Make him understand this is more than being overly protective of her. All four of us feel the same way about her, and I don't mean just about protecting her."

"I'm not real keen about Braeden," I said. "He's a little too protective. He doesn't want any of us close to her." I kicked at the dirt, and Kyler used an earth spell to brush dirt over my boots. "Funny."

"I don't think it's that, Dash," he said. "I think he doesn't want us to take advantage of her or hurt her emotionally. I think we all get that. Even you."

"Still a pain in the ass," I said.

"Yeah, well, remember, he's the reason she's stayed alive as long as she has," Kyler said. "He's also the reason she's here. Suck it up, buttercup."

"You wanna be green again?" I asked.

"Ribbitt," he said. "Quit being so damn sensitive."

"Just go replace Oliver and bring his ass back here. We'll get him some extra practice before he loses himself in his computer and spell book." I grabbed Kyler's arm when he started to walk away. "Tell him it's for Cassandra. That'll get him moving."

I waited until Kyler was out of sight and then moved into the forest surrounding the academy. Deep enough to do what was forbidden. I raised my hands in front of me and repeated the words we were told never to repeat. I cast the spell and sighed.