The School of Bermuda - Volume 1 - The hunter's daughter

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The two other centaurs rushed in front of Lili to protect her, while Kareth quickly led all the students present in the entrance outside.

"I see that you're unharmed," Amos grimaced. "Unfortunately, you see, I am unable to touch your wand."

So that's why she had found her wand in a bush! Lili trembled with fear and rage. She wanted to run away, let the centaurs deal with them, but a question burned on her lips, and she didn't want to leave them alone.

Before she could think further, the second warrior was swept away in a flash, and Chiron, narrowly dodging, was injured in the shoulder by a lightning spell.

Axeqa, who had not moved until then, quickly understood the situation. She whispered the name "Ace," which caused a magnificent brown hippogriff to appear, on whose back she swiftly mounted, urging it towards the entrance. She barely made it through the doors before they suddenly closed, thanks to a spell from Amos, and she flew to the window of the headmistress's office.

Amos closed every possible door remotely, creating a magical barrier behind him on the stairs.

"Now it's our turn!"

Chiron tried to intervene, but Amos swept him aside, like his two warriors. He was able to approach Lili without encountering any obstacles, but the little girl backed away.

"You knew my mother... Mr. Lalus told me that you were her friend..."

"Eloïsa? Yes, I knew her, but being friends with a witch, certainly not. Yes, I played the game of the perfect classmate with her, Sara, and Donatello, but I spit on those sweet behaviors I had towards them!"

"But you're a wizard..."

"No! I am not like you, you bunch of monsters! You cast a spell on my mother while she was pregnant so that I would be one of yours, they told me!"

"And you believe them...?"

"You brat! I was raised to be a hunter, there have never been wizards in my family, how could it be any different?"

He grabbed her hair, pointing his wand at her throat.

"That's enough now! I'm tired of playing, tired of bowing down to those damn wizards! I'll finish you! It's a shame, I would have preferred to wait for Karel to do it, like with your mother!"

"...you... you're the one who told my father..."

"Yes. Eloïsa had no idea that I was a hunter, of course, and many years later, she invited me to celebrate your birth. She wanted me to be your godfather, and in fact, officially, I am. I also knew Karel, and I immediately told him who she was. That very evening, he killed her, but he begged the clave to spare you, he was certain that you wouldn't be a monster like your mother."

Lili listened to her teacher - and godfather - without saying a word, clenching her fist around her wand. If that damn hunter hadn't warned her father, maybe they would have lived happily together, maybe she would have known her mother? But this man, this traitor...

Lili felt her body boiling. In fact, her skin was really warming up, to the point that the professor had to let go of her, burning his fingers.

"It's you..." the little girl murmured. "You are solely responsible for my mother's death!"

Amos looked at the girl in surprise. Her skin must have been as hot as lava, judging by the small flying insect that caught fire as soon as it tried to land on her. How could she do that? Before he could think about it further, a blast seemed to escape from Lili, sending Amos crashing into a wall. The entire hall suddenly became unbearably hot. Only the three unconscious centaurs seemed to be spared by a bubble of coolness around them.

Suffocating in the boiling atmosphere, Amos raised his wand towards Lili. Invoking ice would certainly be useless as it would melt immediately. He didn't have time to think, and he was too hot for that.

"Join your ancestors! Be devoured by fire!"

A flame escaped from his wand to surround Lili, but she was unaffected, even her clothes remained intact despite the fire burning on her.

Gritting his teeth as he saw that it seemed to give her more energy, he pointed his wand at the chandelier on the ceiling, commanding it to detach. It fell directly on the child since she was right underneath it. This time, Lili threw herself to the side to dodge it, although a few shards were swept in her direction, slightly injuring her. Amos took advantage of this to get up, discarding his robe that was too hot, although it didn't really change the temperature.

The headmistress, accompanied by other professors and students, had arrived but found themselves blocked by the magical barrier on the stairs that they couldn't undo. The prince, Ree, and Lulis were also there, worried about their friend. Behind the closed doors, others tried to enter or open them with magic but it was impossible.

"They can only be undone from the inside," the headmistress said through gritted teeth. "We are powerless from here."

They could only watch what was happening in the hall. Lili got up, grimacing as she pulled out the piece of glass from the chandelier that was embedded in her leg, and then another from her arm. There were many more, but removing them all would certainly take too much time. Determined, she pointed her wand at the potion professor.

In a desperate, and slowed down by the excessive heat, he tried to cast a spell on her before she could do anything.

"If you dare to make a motion," Lili yelled before him, "your bones will shatter in commotion!"

The adult suddenly found himself immobilized, falling violently to the scorching ground. Trembling, exhausted, Lili kept her wand raised, without a specific target.

"Gates... and entrances closed tight..." she murmured with difficulty. "Grant passage with all your might."

As the barrier disappeared and everyone finally managed to enter, the little girl fainted, allowing the temperature to return to normal, while her three friends and Donatello rushed towards her, concerned.

Izãdo knelt beside Lili, holding her in his arms and shaking her in the hope of waking her up.

"Prince," Viktor called as he approached, shielding himself from the sun. "Let me take care of her."

"But she..."

"Prince! I'm the nurse. You can come see her later."

Izãdo nodded silently, letting Viktor take his friend and carry her away.