The Iron Trial [Magisterium]

Chapter Four... The Worst Witch

Master Rockmaple marched angrily, leading the whole group down a hallway, away from the testing room. Why everyone insisted on walking so damn fast was beyond me. The fire wasn't spreading, everyone just needed to chill. Although maybe if I started messing up as badly as Callum I would just be sent home... Or probably not. His mess ups were explosions of uncontrolled power. Any fantasy writer knew that.

I hung back with Callum and his sister, whom I learned was called Cass at least by Callum, although he seemed to be going slower because of his leg. I just didn't like walking fast, it expended too much unnecessary energy. It wasn't that I was lazy or anything... Although, If I had the choice I would sit in my room all day reading shoujo manga, drawing yaoi and working on designing killer clothes.

"You okay?" Aaron asked Callum as he walked in step with the dark haired boy.

"Fine," Callum said through gritted teeth. "Never better." I raised a brow. Was he always this... Moody? Or was it because of his recent fashion statements that he was such a grumpy cat? To ask or not to ask, that was the real question.

" I have no idea how you did what you did, but that was epic. The look on master Rockmaple's face was like-" Aaron tried to approximate it, furrowing his eyebrows, widening his eyes and making his mouth gape.

Despite myself, I laughed softly. I didn't want to admit it, but Aaron was super-competent and fairly good looking. He made for a good package of farewell and by the look on Cass's face she thought so too. I was not getting mixed up with a boy. Especially one who wanted to go to magic school.

We turned the corner and the rest of the class was waiting. Master Rockmaple cleared his throat, apparently about to scold Callum, when his eyes glanced from Aaron to I. Biting off whatever he had been about to say, the Mage opened the door to a new room. I sighed, it was becoming quite the habit today. I was doing well enough that I wasn't getting scolded. The second test was another fail. Damn my competitive nature built up by my best friend.

I walked into the room along with the rest of the group. It was a boring industrial space like the one I'd been in for my first test, with rows of cheap desks and a single sheet of paper resting upon each one.

Another written test? Nope. I'm leaving it blank then. Luckily none of the desks had names this time, so I sat in the far back row on the left.

"Master Rockmaple!" Called out Bitchlie, sitting down. "Master Rockmaple, I don't have a pen."

Whoever designed her vocal box, needs to rethink their life.

"Nor will you need one." Said the Mage. "This is a test of your ability to control your magic. You will be using the element of air. Concentrate on the paper in front of you until you are able to lift it off the desk, using only the energy of your thoughts. Lift it straight up, without allowing it to wobble or fall. Once that is accomplished, please rise and join me at the front of the room."

Pfft. Well this will be easy. All I had to do was make sure the paper didn't fly up into the air, which was simple enough. My entire life, I had managed to go without making pieces of paper fly around classrooms. Aaron was sitting across the aisle, diagonal from me. He had his hand on his chin, his green eyes narrowed. As I watched him, the paper on Aaron's desk rose into the air, perfectly level. It hovered for a moment before fluttering back to the desk. With a grin, Aaron got up to join Master Rockmaple at the front of the room.

I heard a chuckle to my left and glanced over, curious. I watched Jasper take out what looked like a regular sewing pin and prick his finger. A drop of blood appeared, and Jasper shoved his finger in his mouth, sucking on it. I wonder... What could possibly be gained from doing that? I thought to myself. I frowned as Jasper slumped back in his chair, in a casual, I-can-do-magic-with-my-hands-tied kind of way. And it seemed like he could, since the paper on his desk was folding and crumpling- rolling itself into a new shape. With a few more folds and tucks it became a paper airplane, which zoomed off Jasper's desk and flew across the room, hitting Callum directly in the forehead. I watched as he swatted it away causing it to drop to the ground.