21 – Meet The Manalings

“Okay,” Arielle responded. She started doing stretches like her brother had taught her to do, wondering how physical this battle was going to be.

“How about you go up against….” Professor Hammond ran his gaze across the other students and said, “You. Brian.”

“It’s Byron.”

“Whatever.”

Arielle recognized him as one of the boys who had been with Faulkey when he’d approached her. He was the quieter one, the one who hadn’t done much except occasionally smile and stare.

He also began to do stretches, cracking his neck. As he did, Riorke, who was coincidentally standing next to Ari, took her elbow and tugged her over.

Ari stiffened as he whispered, “Watch out for his right hook. He’s going to try to feign a hit before he shoves you. He has a warrior build and puts his levelling points into speed. He’s also very sneaky and will try to trip you if he gets close. So, you know, don’t let him get close.”

She was about to just nod, but then she recalled what the book had said about showing appreciation for even the slightest favors.

“I appreciate the advice,” she said, and moved her hand away from his. He noticed the distance staring at it pointedly.

“Oh, sorry,” he said as though he realized that he’d made her uncomfortable.

“It’s okay. Just try not to do it again.” She added a smile at the end, as the book told her to do when gently censuring others.

It made him frown for some reason. “Noted.”

“His left ankle,” Lacey commented. “It’s his weak spot.”

Ari accepted that too with a nod.

Ari turned back to her opponent, who was finally done with the stretches.

“Both of you step into the circle,” Professor Graham said, and they obliged. They stood on both sides of the circle whose diameter was about twelve feet across. Ari was curious to know just how fast he was, but she had a feeling that she didn’t want to find out.

Suddenly, someone stuck up their hand and said, “Professor Graham?”

“What is it, Lisa?”

“It’s Lyra.”

“I truly don’t care.”

Lyra worried her bottom lip for a second before she finally spat out. “I don’t think this duel should happen.”

“Why not?”

“Because I believe there’s already established animosity between the two, and Byron has been here longer and duelled more.”

“So you think your friend will lose?”

“No.” Her voice tilted at the end. “I just think…maybe it might get personal.”

“Hmm.” Graham scratched the back of his neck before asking Ari, “Would you like me to switch your partner?”

She shrugged. “I don’t care. I think I can beat him.”

“Ooooh,” a few students chorused as Byron smirked. “You’re going to eat those words in under a minute.”

“I doubt it.” She didn’t like the fact that he likely accompanied Faulkey in bullying Lyra, so she added, “You won’t lay a single mark on me.”

That triggered another row of oohs, and Lacey yelled out. “You tell him, Swanchild.”

It took her a second to realize he was calling her that because of the story she’d told her earlier. How amusing. However, she wasn’t sure she liked it.

She would talk to him about adjusting the nickname later.

“The duel proceeds then,” Professor Graham said. “Now, since you’re new, Arielle, I’ll remind you of the rules. Five minute scrimmage. No low blows. No killing spells. No excessive harm. Your role is simply to knock the other person out of the duelling circle, not to knock them out. Understood?”

“Yes,” Ari and Byron parroted.

“Good. When you hear the bell, begin.”

Graham backed up as they waited for the bell. Ari remained relaxed, hearing her brother’s voice in her head.

People always have tells when they’re about to attack, Brom used to say. Only the most trained soldiers learn to suppress it, but for most average fighters, there are hints of what they’re going to do. You just have to watch for it.

Ari tracked her opponents body. She looked at his leg, the weak ankle that he’d kept behind him. She analyzed the angle of his stance and the twitch of his ear.

He was going to launch himself at her.

The bell rang once, and both were in motion.

“[Blink].”

Ari zoomed away just in time to avoid his heavy landing and his shove. At the same time, she spun around and targeted him with her wand and one of the spells she’d learned yesterday.

“[Kinetic Push].”

[Kinetic Push] was like a more powerful [Wind Gust]. It added a destabilizing effect to the target’s legs, so that even if they landed on their feet, they would immediately lose balance and fall.

It was a really good spell, one of the few with Vacu as a balancer instead of massa. Or in this case, it was an un-balancer. The switch allowed for more unrestricted force, which allowed the simple spell to send Byron flying.

In fact, he flew about eight feet outside the circle, plunging to the ground, rolling over with a heavy groan.

Ari stepped back and turned to Professor Graham, who was quietly frozen with his finger over his lip.

“I win,” she said, because he wasn’t speaking.

“I see that.” He blinked rapidly. “Have you duelled before?”

“Does duelling with my brother count?”

“It depends. Who’s your brother?”

“Brom Blacksoil.”

“Brom Blacksoil.” He repeated and planted his hands at his waist. “Is he a Knight?”

“No, he’s a Keeper of the Bog.”

“Well,” he said. “I haven’t seen a Mossborne who was good at magic before.”

“She was adopted,” Lacey said, thankfully lying on her behalf.

“I see. Do you know your biological family?”

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

She swallowed. Here came the hard part. Lying. Don’t look at the ceiling.

“Elric Earthbinder is my cousin.”

“The archmage?” he nodded. “Ah, no wonder. But why did you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like…’Elric Earthbinder is my cousin?’ not ‘Elric Earthbinder is my cousin.'”

Ari didn’t know how to answer that. She shrugged.

“Can I sit down now?” she asked, because Byron had already gotten up and taken his seat, throwing her sour looks.

“Yes,” he said. “Is that a record for the fastest duel yet, class? I think it might be.”

“It is,” Lacey said as Ari took her place between him and Riorke once more. “Good job, Ari.”

“Thank you.” She was pleased with her performance but also more than a little disappointed.

It had been too easy.

There had been absolutely no challenge facing Byron because she’d instantly known that she could beat him. Her power eclipsed his by miles.

It probably eclipsed everyone else in her Cohort, making any duel moot and boring.

She released a breath. She had a sinking feeling that boredom might be a recurring problem in this class.

Well, at least she had spell craft. That would keep things exciting.

Lacey went next, and his fight was far more interesting than anyone else she’d seen. He had a fluid style, like dancing while avoiding pulses of air sent his way. His opponent also attempted the [Kinetic Push] Ari did, but he wasn’t as successful.

Lacey won the scrimmage.

Arcane Combat was the last class of the day, so once it was done, Arielle returned to Professor Valeria’s classroom. There was an office tucked behind the black panel, and she knocked on the door.

“Come in,” the professor called.

Arielle walked in, admiring the way the sun made the glass walls glitter and how clean and polished everything in the room was.

“Arielle,” Professor Valeria greeted, and then gestured to the hardback seat opposite her. “Please sit.”