The Crystal Trials

35

Faolan and I weren't able to find Volar again that night. We stood in the courtyard with our team practicing for the third trial. It had been announced at breakfast that we would be tested on water and lightning. We had agreed to keep our findings ourselves to not raise suspicion. Rion had not acted any different to us, so we only assumed he didn't see it was us that had killed his Axion friend.

Faolan kept looking over at Evander in longing, no matter how many times I told him to stop. I kept telling him, he was going to put Evander at risk. I believed that Erix was hurting his boys, but I was surer now that it was Rion that led the attacks on the Fae halflings. He may even be the leader of the false Axion. I had decided to speak to Erix about it after practice.

Ameer and I had discussed over breakfast that water and lightning would be a dangerous mix and it would be impossible to combine. Water worked well as a conductor so that was what we practiced. Taury formed a ball of water and Rayze shot lightning at it trying to see how much electricity the water could hold. I smiled at her smart move and copied. Everyone did.

Some heads turned towards the gardens and slowly, everyone stopped as two militia men approached us. Ameer and Faolan stiffened as they approached. Rion was the closest to the uniformed men so one of them leaned over and whispered something in his ear and handed him a piece of paper. Rion looked to all of us and nodded sadly. After thanking the men, he walked up to us, mournful. A look I didn't know he cold wear. My heart pounded. Something bad had happened. Rion stuck his hand out to Dath and handed him the paper. He spoke up before Dath could read the contents.

"I'm sorry man. Your grandmother has passed away," Rion announced.

Dath's mouth hung open and his eyes went glassy. His face screwed up in anger and full out swung a fist at Rion's handsome face. Rion took a few steps back from the force of Dath's punch. Ameer grabbed hold of Dath's broad shoulders whispering to him that it wasn't the time. He shrugged Ameer off and stormed off. Ameer glared at Rion, who smirked back.

We had tried and failed to get Dath to come out of his room that night for dinner. He did slip the letter through the bottom of his door though. Grandma Mysie's mourning service was to be held two days after the trial. Uncle Josiah had penned the letter saying he would keep the body for as long as he could for us to arrive there in time.

The remainder of the week was much the same. We attended classes, practiced, and spared. Though we moved about our days normally, we felt anything but. Grandma Mysie was important to all of us from Asuraville. During lunch one day Faolan asked if we could bring Taury and Garren up to speed with what we had discovered. I agreed and told him sadly, that for now we couldn't include Evander or Alden. He agreed as well.

We me them at the library doors. Taury fidgeted at the stormy look Garren was giving her. I laughed on the inside at her refusal to acknowledge how she felt. Garren took us to a hidden seating area not many knew about. While Faolan and I talked, they both went from shocked, to mad, and back again. Taury was angry I never shared with her Volar seeking me out but was glad I didn't kill him all the same. The two agreed to help us try to discover what Rion was up to and why. None of us could decide if it was him, or some one else that was poisoning the students' crystals. Our team was the closet to him, and none of us were getting sick. I decided to try to get Dath to speak again and left the two of them alone after they promised to do some research.

"Wait!" Taury ran to catch up to me. "You said the Volar told you to check the card again. What card?"

I rummaged through my bag and handed it to her. She looked it over and asked, "You kept it the whole time?"

I shrugged, eager to findDath and make sure he was ok after nearly a week of silence. Annoyed at myanxiousness she waved me on and went back to Garren. Faolan ran off to the dininghall on the hunt for food. I went to Dath's room which was the last one beforethe spiral staircase to the Prime's pod. I knocked on the door hoping for ananswer. I stood there for almost a full thirty minutes hoping for him torespond before finally giving up and going to bed.