The tar of time dripping lazily. Slanting, reddish rays of the dawn filled with dancing dust. Silence… Some boys dozed off right where they sat. Juel envied them. He was all nerves. His face was a stone mask but his mind was a screaming, fiery hell. No wonder that he jumped on his feet as soon as he heard faint footsteps behind the door. The rest of the team, yawning and muttering something under their breath, got up too.
Milian and Pai entered the room and apologised for being late. Both looked like they have been through something. Something important. Milian looked gloomy, Pai was all smiles, so, clearly, the event had hit each of the boys differently.
“I packed your bags!” announced Bala happily. “You’re all set!”
“Let’s go,” yawned Oasis. “My legs went numb while I was waiting for you two.”
“Same!” Jarmin piped up.
Pai sighed. The smile died on his face, replaced by a painful, worried expression.
“I’ll send you to Torgor on Transvolo,” he said, frowning. “But I’m not going with you. I’m staying here.”
Silence followed. Everyone was looking at Pai Prior now. There was pure hatred in Irin’s gaze, helpless disbelief in Bala’s, compassionate understanding in Orion’s… One way or another, everyone was waiting for an explanation.
“Explain yourself, Pai,” said Juel in a cold, intimidating tone that made the young mage recoil in terror.
“Magister Sharlou offered us a place in his college,” Milian answered in Pai’s stead. He had to crane his head to look the tall Faizul in the eye. Juel towered about him like a mountain, a furious, ready-to-explode mountain… “He said that we won’t even have to pass the exams.”
“And?” demanded Juel. He was looking at Pai now.
Pai, as red as a boiled lobster, was shaking under Juel’s gaze, unable to utter a single word.
“I refused,” Milian spoke up again. “Magic is not my thing.”
“And I… agreed…” squeaked Pai miserably.
“You’re coming with us,” Juel cut his pathetic explanation short.
There was nothing more to talk about. The brat’s rebellion was quenched. Good…
Juel was about to turn his back to Pai and tell the others to prepare for the jump when he heard a yell,
“No!!! I’m staying here! I want to be a mage!!! You won’t stop me!” Pai was hysterical now.
“I will stop you then,” sneered Irin at that. “Go on, try to run away. I swear I’ll find you wherever you go and kill you in the most painful way possible. My arrows will reach you before you even get a chance to learn your first battle spell!”
“Irin!” Bala tried to calm everyone down, as usual, but no one had even noticed him now.
“…Yeah, I’d love to kill a deserter,” continued Irin, a dark, carnivorous glee in his voice. “Go on, Pai, renounce your vows and run. Your Transvolo can buy you a couple of days but I’ll find you, oh I will…”
“What’s wrong with you, people!!!” exclaimed Milian, rushing forward. “Leave him alone! He’s been dreaming of magic his whole life! Magic IS his whole life! I…”
Juel reached Milian in one wide step, grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall. The impact was strong enough to take young Raven’s breath away.
“Never,” growled Juel. “You hear me? Never stand between me and someone else. You don’t want to challenge me, whelp, oh, you don’t…”
That said, he released Milian’s shirt and let the terrified boy fall to the floor.
“Juel, stop it.” Orion’s voice, clear and calm, was like a ray of light in the darkness now. “Let me talk to Pai.”
