Allies of Plaxas

Chapter the Third: Opal

"Lunge to the left! The left I said, didn't you hear me! The left,"

I wince and duck as a fake wooden sword is swung towards me. I try to parry it with my own but it ends up getting knocked out of my hand.

I lean down panting as the instructor taps me on the head with her sword. "Disappointing, Opal. Try better next time," then she strides back down the line of students, telling each and every one of them their shortcomings and such.

"Okay!" she calls. "Pair off, everyone. You'll be practicing with your magic now. Remember--no hurting or maiming, and certainly no killing! You are fighting to disarm ONLY.Do you all have that?"

We all nod and a chorus of "yes ma'am's" ring around the courtyard where we're practicing.

School has changed quite a bit since the fighting with the sun elves started. Several new classes are added, including this one: fighting basics, and others like war ground strategies and anatomy of a battlefield (for that one you actually have to go survey the battlefield which I think is really stupid, but no one asks me.)

I pair up with Kaitlynn, subconciously glancing up at the tallest tower in the school where Ruby is practicing with Mitali as I do so. She doesn't seem to trust Mitali, and I worry for her. I hope she's not doing something stupid, because attacking Mitali is exactly something she might do.

"Get ready," I tell Kaitlynn. "It's going to be hard for you to win this one,"

"Yeah, well, I chose you because I wanted the challenge. I need to know what being against a challenging enemy is like."

I don't know what to say about that, so I stay silent.

Kaitlynn's power is magnetism. While it's definitely not as powerful as mine is, it definitely is powerful. I wonder how it'll help her in fighting.

"Ready? Go!" cries the instructor.

I wait for Kaitlynn to make the first move. When she does, I'm surprised. I'm propelled backwards to some apparently magnetic rocks, my coat buttons leading the way.

I struggle to release myself from the magnet's hold, and Kaitlynn laughs at me. She has no idea what's coming.

As she watches me struggle, Kaitlynn's mind is lax and wide open. She barely has to do anything to keep this magnetism going, so there's plenty of room for me to sneak into.

The first thing I do is make her release me from the magnetic hold. She does, looking slightly surprised. Then I make her hand her fake sword to me. Only now is she beginning to show a bit of struggle.

Suddenly she lunges forwards, grabbing her sword out of my hand. I'm so surprised that I lose control over her. She hits me on the head with the sword, the symbol that I'm supposedly dead, and dances over to the instructor.

I lean against the rock I was being magnetized to before, trying to catch my breath. As I do so I feel a jolt of energy, but it's not mine. It takes me a moment to realize that it's Ruby's.

I stand up and glance at the tower I know she's in. Is she okay? Is Mitali okay? What happened up there?

"Opal," Kaitlynn points to my left as she comes back over to me. "Isn't that your sister?"

I look to where she's pointing just in time to see my sister barrel into me. She's out of breath and her face is bright red. Dirt is smudged on her cheeks, but that's usual.

I clutch her by the shoulders as she runs into me, asking, "What's wrong, Ruby? What is it?"

"One of the elves," she gasps. "She's hurt,"