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"Typically, wielders go through eight years of training; anomalies are different." Nyx tugs me toward a grand staircase that leads to the second floor. "First years wear white. Second through eighth years wear yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple and black respectively."
"So, the more powerful you are, the darker your uniform?" I follow him up the stairs, my eyes still taking in the students rushing from one class to the next.
"Exactly." He nods. "You won't wear robes like them. Anomalies are given fighting leathers with the school's emblem etched on the chest."
"Why is that?"
"To distinguish us from regular fire wielders. We go through harder courses and although we attend some classes with other students, we spend a lot of time training on our own. Professors need to be able to understand exactly what your magic does to help you develop it." Students rush up and down the stairs, avoiding slamming into us, but Nyx doesn't seem to notice any of them or the awe in which some of them stare at him. It's as if he was some sort of god among men. "And now the professors are expected to protect the students from us, if something goes wrong again."
"Again?" My attention is fully fixed on him. "What happened that requires them to protect the other students from anomalies?"
A storm rages in his hazel eyes, but all he says in response is, "It's not my story to tell." Not giving me a chance to ask any more questions about the matter, the second we reach the top of the staircase, he hits a hard right, marches to the door at the very end of the long hallway and knocks three times.
Almost immediately, a deep yet feminine voice beckons us to, "Enter."
I eye Nyx, who gives me a quick wink before he twists the black doorknob and swings the dark wooden door wide open. With a wave of his hand, he motions me inside. I take a deep breath and saunter into what looks like an office, and by the expansive and impressive view of the city of Tronovia, including the castle's white spindles in the distance, this must be the office of someone of great importance.
A colorful mural on the wall depicting a great battle catches my attention. Humans, Frost and Sea Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, Demons and Dragons are all represented in the painting, but my heart stops when I see a man with tawny skin and white armor basking in his light magic, blasting demons away from the mortal warriors. I press my palm against the figure, of who I can only assume is Enver Sol, and my hand tingles. So, that's what Enver Sol looks like. Even from the tiny artistic version of him, I can sense his power and presence and my desire to discover more about him and his magic blazes in my soul.
"Ah, Princess Ilaria!" The female voice draws my attention and I snap my head to the right, meeting the gaze of a tall woman staring down her gold-rimmed spectacles at me. She doesn't grin, per say, but she isn't frowning either. She is perfectly indifferent, and it makes the hair on my arms stand up. "Welcome to Magikos Grammata, the School of Magic." She walks around her white and gold desk and extends her hand for me to shake. "I am Headmistress Philomena Radcliffe. It is an honor to have you here."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Headmistress." I accept her greeting and offer my warmest smile.
"His Majesty, King Soren asked for you to be assigned the best instructors and have the most scholarly ambassador from Calmara made available to you for any and all information you seek." She secures her hands behind her back, giving me the perfect opportunity to admire her perfectly styled black and white hair and the way her pristine beige jacket resembles that of a military officer's with countless medals pinned to her lapel. Though I would peg her to be in her mid-fifties, she is still very light on her feet, and I have a sneaky suspicion she can still kick someone's ass, if they step out of line.
"To ensure you receive the undivided attention you deserve, we have assigned two of our best professors to tutor you." She marches to her high back, white leather seat and motions for me to sit in one of the smaller chairs on this side of her desk. I oblige and notice Nyx stands directly behind me, taking his guard duty seriously.
"I appreciate you and your professors taking the time to help me."
She nods in approval of my gratitude before powering through the rest of what I can only imagine is her first-day-of-school speech. "Here at Magikos Grammata, using magic against another student or professor is prohibited. Unless you are instructed to wield your affinity in class, you will refrain from using it anywhere on school grounds. Failing to adhere to this rule will result in suspension or expulsion."
When she pauses, I realize she is waiting for me to acknowledge and verbally agree, so I clear my throat and say, "Of course."
"Good." A hint of a smile graces her face a split second before she's back to her neutral expression. "Now – "
A knock on her office door echoes and she gives whoever is on the other side the same, "Enter," command we received moments before.
A man in a wheelchair rolls in with a sunny grin on his bearded face. He slips up beside me before the Headmistress says, "Princess Ilaria, this is Professor Ezekiel Riggs. He teaches our students history and is our ambassador to Calmara."
I rise to my feet and extend my hand to him, which he shakes enthusiastically. "It is truly an honor to meet you, Princess Ilaria. To be in the presence of a light wielder! Ah! I am truly ecstatic to work with you and to answer any and all questions I can."
"The honor is mine, Professor Riggs," I say his name aloud more so for me to remember it than anything else. "Have you been teaching at the school for a long time?"
He smiles and the corners of his eyes crinkle. From my prying question, I gather he has deduced what I'm actually wanting to know. To not only be a professor, but to be the ambassador to Calmara, are both positions I expected to belong to someone much, much older than him. The longer I inspect him, the more I'm convinced that he isn't a day over thirty. I'm surprised he holds such a coveted position at his age.
Kindly, he says, "I have been teaching since I graduated when I was eighteen. I have been in a wheelchair since I was two years old, so I knew I would never be given the chance to fight at the front lines of any battles should I be needed. I was trained to teach the History of Dalerin and the legends and lore of the six kingdoms."
Though he is grinning widely through most of his explanation, I detect a hint of sorrow in his tone. I want to ask a few more personal questions to determine why he masks his sadness, but I refrain. "Do you have fire magic?"
That seems to rejuvenate him. He nods his head in confirmation, brushing the few rebellious blonde strands from his forehead. "Yes, and it's blue fire."
"Blue?" I glance at Nyx, but he doesn't say anything. "I'm sorry, I'm new to this world of magic. What is blue fire?"
"Oh, forgive me." Professor Riggs rubs his thighs. I sit down in my chair beside him, allowing us to see eye-to-eye. "I tend to get overly excited about things and forget not everyone understands what I'm talking about." He clears his throat and puffs his chest in obvious pride. "Blue fire is electric."
"You mean to say, you have lightning?" My eyes widen.
He nods sheepishly, wringing his tan hands together. "Well, yes, but there's more to it than just lightning. It's combustible, meaning explosions."
