The Mystery at Trida Academy | Fantasmical 2023
Second place in the Fantasmical Story Competition.
Alaina, a semi-reclusive elf with questionable fire magic, joins a mysterious stranger. Together, they must travel through twelve fantastical realms, defeating dangerous monsters in order to save her sister.
Alaina grew up in the small village of Koh-i-noor with her parents and two sisters. Her oldest sister was the village beauty, and even though her family wasn't wealthy or connected, rumors of her elegance and grace traveled the countryside. She married a prince and moved to the capital. Then there's her younger sister, gifted in both earth and water magic; she's one of the most talented magic users in over a century.
And Alaina? She's nothing like either of her sisters. She's got fire magic, but she's more likely to burn the house down than to light the hearth. But that doesn't bother Alaina - she's perfectly fine, even with unreliable magic. She lives in the small cottage her parents left her, along with her loyal, if somewhat yippy fox, Cinna, tending her garden and selling the sweetest strawberries that Koh-i-noor has ever seen. But when her sister sends a cryptic word that something's wrong at the Trida Academy, Alaina must abandon her solitary life to save her sister.
Cover image by AndreasAux from Pixabay
