The Crystal Trials

26

As the second trial approached, Team Cobalt practiced as before in the courtyard. Though, it looked much different with a forest branching and looming on the side of it. The teachers had decided to keep it for research. Apparently, some rare herbs had grown and hadn't been seen in Tarsen in a long time.

On Ardus of that week, I had been sitting on the ground while the teams practiced fire and ice. We hadn't come up with any clever uses to combine or use the magics together yet. The book in my lap was only providing us with information we already knew. I pulled my button up tighter over my shirt the fall air biting at my skin. Staring at the pages that held no answer.

"Do you want help?" Dath sat down next to me, the gravel crunching under his boots.

"Maybe. I'm surprised you're not ignoring me too."

"Why would I be ignoring you?"

I shrugged. Taury had been gossiping to Lilta and Rayze since the night we had went shopping. I kept Alden at a distance, still fuming at him treating me like a stepping stool. Seducing me because he wasn't on top in his father's eyes anymore. I shook my head, clearing the thoughts.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm trying to figure out a way that ice and fire can be used together other than just melting it. We can't use water magic, so if we melt it, we can only freeze it again." I let my thoughts ramble out loud. We had already been down that line of thought when we initially researched the trail in the library. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sharin and Rion were across the courtyard. Rion would melt her ice, and she would try to freeze it again mid air before hitting the ground. Ameer kept watching them like an bugs on the bottom of his shoes. Evander was speaking to Lilta about something, and Faolan was helping Jiaxin cast a better icicle, ice being his weakest element.

"Do you want to get out of here? Clear your head?"

"Like where?" I asked a little meanly. I mouthed "sorry" to him. He smiled back.

"What about seeing your mom and brother? They are in the clinic, right?"

"Ok. Yeah. Sure."

I stuffed the books in my bag and black and silver caught my eye at the bottom. I reached down to grab it and began walking back into the building. I walked while looking at the card that the Axion leader, Volar, had given me months ago.

"What's that?"

"A card. The Axion leader during the opening ceremony remember?"

"You kept it?" He wasn't accusatory, just surprised.

"Yeah. I don't know why either. There isn't anything special about it." I itched at my ear. They had really been coming to a sharp point after using so much magic recently. "There are only some strange numbers, and a phase that says, 'Mind Over Magic'."

"Can I see?" I handed it to him, as we began the accent to the third floor. Dath handed it back, wordlessly.

I knocked on the door frame of the clinic's open door. My mom was helping a civilian. Zayden put down the toys Taury had gotten him and ran to me.

"Nik! Oh, my gods, did you know that there is the group that wear all black and they have masks on. Oh! And they-" The boy exploded in word vomit rambling about the Axion. I hugged him tight and sent him back to his toys, mid-sentence.

Mom looked much better. Her face was clear, and her cheeks had filled in. She smelled like cotton and cleaner instead of piss and sex. "You got my clothes I see?" I asked her.