Mage Academy

The Spider

"Crap."

I fall back as the Monster approaches us. It's a creature from a freaking nightmare. A gigantic black skeletal spider, complete with shabby tufts of spiky fur and saucers containing hundreds of eyes, all of them glaring at us. It creeps forward, eight legs scraping the cobble stones. It's moving deliberately slowly and crouching down as it moves, like a predator stalking its prey.

Guy and I cautiously drift backwards, trying not to startle the creature. For a moment I think we might escape, but that feeling of hope evaporates as the spider rears on its back legs, screaming at the top of its lungs. The noise pierces through me and my chest tightens into a knot.

The Monster lifts a heavy leg high above us, and in a split second sends it tearing at us. Guy grabs me and we jump to the side, narrowly missing the sword-like thrash. It's sharp leg would have sawed us to the bone. The Monster screeches again, furious. It lifts another leg and throws it down at us, and we leap back just in time as the spider gets close enough to rip my shirt down the middle, and it billows open.

Thank Gosh I'm wearing a vest.

"We need to fight it." I shout. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself so I can open my chakras. The more I connect to my spirit, the easier and the more powerful the magic will come to me.

Guy shoots a blast of Air at a leg that is coming barrelling down at us and the Monster screeches as its leg smashes against the wall. It's eyes glint red. That's the sign of evil.

Guy and I look in horror as it raises four of its legs. It's time.

I lifts both of my hands and concentrate. I feel the magic seep to the surface of my skin, rippling through my body like lava. Pure Fire.

"Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrggghhhh!!!!!!!" I scream, as my hands burst into flame and a torrential wave of Fire rips out of my body. It feels like I just took the lid off a bottle shaken to bursting point. The dark alleyway erupts into a glowing red light, and the Monster screams as my Fire hits it in the chest.

It's a scene from a nightmare. The spider is standing on its back legs and flailing around, legs hitting the walls sending fragments of rock and plaster everywhere, screeching as it bursts into flames.

Beads of sweat crawl down my face. This is taking a lot of effort. I feel my body getting weaker and weaker. I have to fight to keep my stance; if I lose balance, the Fire will lose its target and set Guy and I and everything around us into flames. I feel the last of my power draining from me, and the Monster continues screaming as the last blazes of Fire hit its body.

I drop my hands and everything blurs, but only for a second. When things become clear again I am in Guys arms and the spider is on its back, shaking and flailing its legs, but not a threat to us anymore.

The alleyway is dark again, but there is a thick haze of smoke around us. I clamber to my feet, Guy helping me up.

We stand and stare at the Monster. It's a battered wreck. I did that.

"Well done..." Guy breathes. I swallow, trying to recover. My magic is still boiling inside of me. I'm in shock... I've never used that much magic before. "Your ring..."

I look down at my new ring. It's glowing a bright red, and we watch as it slowly fades to the original Amber colour. "I'm guessing it glows when there's evil close by."

Guy nods. The haze of smoke doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It's overwhelming, standing here. The throbbing of the powerful magic that still hangs in the air.

"How did you know?" Guy asks.

"Know what?"

"That the Monster was coming. You knew something bad was going to happen."

I sigh. "I honestly don't know."

"Have you felt the presence of evil before?"

What a weird question. It would sound so crazy if you said something like that on Earth, but it's not that out of the ordinary in Moonbeam.

Do I tell him?

"Yes."

Guy nods. He probably wants to run as far away from me as he can. That's what I think everyone would want to do, if they found out how mad my life actually is.

But for some reason, I don't believe that Guy wants to turn away from me. I believe that he wants to stay.

"We need to talk." He says kindly.

That's when you know you're not on Earth: you're standing in front of a smouldering spider the size of a grown man, in a cloud of your own smoke, a boy says the famously dreaded sentence... and you couldn't be more relieved.