Placed

Chapter Two

               

The doors shut loudly as the girls continued to stare and be stared at by the others in the room. They recognized several of the faces in the crowd.

            There was a group of three sitting in the corner. Nymira remembered them from the market. Two were Shadows, able to blend into the darkest corners of a room. They were beneficial in signing deals because they could eavesdrop on their targets and blackmail them into signing. It wasn't the most effective way, but it got the job done. The third member in the corner was like Ansley, a Deceiver, able to feed someone false memories. Nymira couldn't remember if the three worked as a team or individually. Either way, they were below Ansley and herself.

            On the other side of the room, Nymira spotted Shayla, a Whisper who could tell anyone anything from any distance. Shayla, with short, red hair, wicked green eyes, and freckled skin, was desperate for the top spot in the market. She was fast, effective and exact in every job she worked. Despite being independent, she rivaled Nymira and Ansley for their spot on a daily basis. The only flaw in her work was her cold attitude towards everybody. The other Magicks could put up with it, but employers found it difficult to work with.

            Nymira had to compete with Shayla for one of her first jobs almost two years ago. The employer was stuck between wanting a Whisper to coerce his transaction or a Placer to actually get the job done. Nymira was ecstatic when the man had chosen her over Shayla, but the bitter look in those green eyes had terrified her. They were a constant reminder that if she failed, those bitter eyes would turn mocking, and Nymira couldn't live with that. She performed the job admirably, leaving the employer to deal with a disgruntled signer. This was before Ansley was her partner and the two of them could complete signings thoroughly.

Forgetting they had been standing there for a while, Nymira and Ansley hastily shuffled to the side when the giant doors shuddered open again. By moving, they allowed a tall, skinny man dressed in the Court's colors to enter.

            He had a forced smile on his face, like the one kidnappers use to lure children into their trap. Nymira couldn't shake the feeling that there's something off about the man. He seemed, almost, nervous to be there.

            "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen! I see you've all made the journey here just fine!" His voice was higher pitched and cracking, adding more to Nymira's observation that he was nervous. "Now, you must all be wondering why you're here," he paused as people whispered their agreement. "As you all know, the South has been badgering the North for quite a few years now, and we have word, that they are finally going to launch an attack."

            The North and the South were born to be enemies. The South had better clothes while the North had more industrial goods. They both wanted what the other had. Since Nymira had been born, her parents told her bedtime stories about the North and South merging and becoming one kingdom. As she grew up, she learned of the bitter hatred the two had for each other. The South had been sending threats for years now and the North had never prepared an army for it, as far as she knew.

            Mr. Court man kept talking, "We need to prepare to counter attack. That's where you come in the North is planning several squadrons and we want Magicks to lead them. Obviously, we don't have 24 squadrons to lead, so the Court has decided to hold a contest to narrow down to the top five," He paused for effect, looking at the faces around him. "Training begins tomorrow, and your first competition is in three days time. These contests will determine your ranking among the other competitors. After each new ranking is posted, the bottom five will be eliminated. Be warned, these tasks will not be easy."

            With his long speech finished, the man walked quickly back out of the room as servants brought in plates of food and laid them on the table buffet style. Nymira was starving, and staring longingly at the food.