Chapter 1
“Will he ever get here?! We’ve been waiting days!” Tai yelled as he got up for the fiftieth time and walked around our small fire.
“He will be, as apprentices, we can’t judge our teacher’s actions, and you know this. Just sit down so the wind won’t freeze you solid.” I pulled my cloak more tightly around me.
He sat down next to me, cuddling up to keep warm. He wrapped his cloak around the both of us, always wanting to protect me.
“I’m starting to doubt if he will ever come. I don’t care if he is supposed to be Death incarnate, I’m not liking this at all, our food’s almost gone and that dragon is starting to see through our veil.” He wrapped his arms around his knees even tighter.
About an hour after we set up camp, a dragon flew over. We had to quickly create a veil, a wall of magic that camouflages an area so that no one, or nothing can see past it, or sense anything inside. But after a while, like all spells, it weakens.
There have been a few close calls, it decided to swoop lower than normal one day, and its claws penetrated the barrier. If the beast had any magic sense, it would’ve figured out the puzzle of the missing prey and we wouldn’t be here right now.
“I’m sure he’ll come, we still have a day left of coverage. And if need be, I can try and call Grimsever…”
“NO! You aren’t calling that demon here! I know the toll that bringing him through takes on you. I don’t want you losing anymore life,” He stood straight up, rigid in the cold night air, “We didn’t make it through schooling just for you to be taken over by a demon, he may be your brother, but we both know he isn’t always in control of the laws.”
Tai was right, every time I summoned Grimsever, my own brother, it shaves a little bit off my life. And it wasn’t often that Grimsever was able to remove that consequence.
“I just don’t know what to do anymore…” Tai collapsed on the ground, the stress of the past weeks taking their toll more and more every day.
We used to attend a school in the heart of the country, and academy for mages that taught us how to master our abilities, and the consequences that came with them. Tai and I passed our end of year exam with flying colours, top of the year and smashing some records as well. But because of that, some of the other students grew jealous. We were attacked, but of course came out on top, then as we were about to meet our first teacher… we found out that he had been possessed by a demon and were nearly killed in the process…
“As long as we are together, we will be fine. I’m sure our teacher will arrive tomorrow. Trust me.” I edged closer to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders.
“He better. If he doesn’t, we’re leaving.” He huffed as he turned into my embrace, falling asleep while I protected him from the worst of the freezing cold climate.
*
I was the first awake, still huddling up with Tai. I looked around our small camp, glancing over our large fire, to the edge of the plateau we were on.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was wrong. Was it the way the flames crackled, was it the way the wind howled, or was it the way the dragon was circling… only, the dragon wasn’t there.
“Tai! Wake up! The dragon’s gone.” I nudged him in the ribs until he woke up.
He got up groggily and then the news hit him. He jumped up straight and drew his knives. The dragon wasn’t in the sky, and the veil was due to fail in an hour, it’s possible it sensed us in a fluctuation and landed to hunt.
