We Three Mages (Editing)

Chapter Three: A Battle Fought

“I-impossible,” Nadia whispered. She gawked at the objects that were coming straight for them. 

“We’ll be fine. There’s a barrier cast around the library and school, protecting us from any possible attacks,” Mari said that more for herself than the other two.

“The barrier isn’t going to hold,” Jared spoke quickly as he recognized what was coming at them. Meteors. Giant, deadly meteors. “Those meteors are high class magic. A powerful mage must have summoned them.”

“Meteors or not, our force field can’t be broken!” Mari cried out; but she spoke too soon. The meteors crashed through the library’s force field, the entire building shook from the impact.

“RUN!” Jared shouted. He took off towards the Lift to get to the first floor, Mari was close on his heels. Neither had let go of their books.

Nadia was frozen in place by fear. Her legs wouldn’t move.

Is this really how it’s going to end? She thought to herself. She felt a few tears roll down her face. With me being crushed to death, never being able to fulfill my dreams, my wishes? BAM! The first meteor busted through the skylight and crashed into the first floor, eradicating several rows of books. Another broke through the ceiling and landed in the student’s area.

Oh god…all those people…Nadia had to stifle a cry as she heard screams of agony come from below her. One right after another shot through the ceiling, causing the library to start to collapse on itself. She could feel the floor beneath her feet start to crumble away as the pillars fell one by one. Nadia looked to her left to see Jared and his sister back away from the nearest Lift as one of the meteors destroyed it. Everything around her was happening in slow motion. She scanned around the room as she tried to take it all in. There were several fires all around and people ran around as if their heads had been chopped off, which they might be in another few seconds. Among the chaos, Nadia could see some brave Upper years trying to fight off the meteors and protect what few lives they could. Many had formed a circle underneath the Founder’s statue and created a barrier. The barrier held maybe 20 people at the most. There were six casters keeping it up.

As Nadia turned her head back to the spot where the first meteor broke through, she looked to see that now it was her turn to perish.  A large meteor was coming straight for her. She hugged the book she had been carrying tight to her chest and closed her eyes, waiting for the initial pain of death.

But it never came. She only dared to open one eye; but as soon she did, the other one snapped open as well. The meteor was no longer there, well, it was, but it laid in pieces all around her. There was a barrier around her, protecting her from all the falling debris and meteors that tried to smash her to a million pieces.

“W-what?” Was all Nadia could manage. She looked around to see who was casting the spell on her. Was it Jared? But he was a Year Two like her and didn't know any magic. Then would it be Mari? But she should only know very basic spells at this point. She wasn’t even ranked yet. Plus, neither were anywhere that she could see. Had they gotten away? Or were they…

Nadia shook away the thought. It’s something that she didn’t even want to consider. But if Mari and Jared aren’t doing this then…who? Suddenly she felt a warmth in her arms. She had forgotten she was holding onto a book! She quickly looked down to see if it was on fire.

It was the book that was casting the barrier field.

“N-no way,” Nadia held the book out in front of her and stared at it. The dust infested book was now a deep forest green. The snake pattern was an even darker green, nearly black. In the very center of the book, a gem was glowing, giving off the warmth. “B-but a book can’t p-perform magic,” Nadia mumbled to herself. She was so engrossed in the spectacle before her that she had forgotten where she stood. She may have been safe from the falling objects, but that didn’t mean she was safe from the crumbling ground.