Chapter 8
"Good morning, class, and welcome to Fire Studies," the professor said once the room had quieted. She smiled--a calm, kind expression that put everyone at ease, not exactly the type one would expect to see on a brand of magi infamous for their tempers. "I am Master Kilandra. You may have seen me around, especially if you've visited the infirmary often. I work as a healer there when not teaching."
A girl sitting a few seats behind Lachesis raised her hand. "But...but isn't--"
"Isn't healing usually a water magi's domain? Is that what you wanted to say?" Master Kelandra asked, eyes crinkling with amusement when the apprentice nodded. "It is true that water magi are much more likely to have an affinity for healing. But any mage, of any element, can cast healing spells. That is also the case for most other spells, regardless of the element one chooses. As I'm sure you've noticed, since every one of you must have cast some spells since the elements ceremony. This means that even a water magi can create a fireball, if he or she knows the spell for it.
"Why does a magi's element matter, then?" Kilandra asked. "Does anyone have a guess? Yes, you in the dark red shirt. What is your name?"
"Vash," Vash replied. "You said a water magi could cast a fireball, if he or she knew the spell. But we can do it instinctively."
"Correct," Master Kilandra said. "Now, everyone put away your pens and notebooks, please. We won't be taking any notes in this class, ever." There was a large amount of movement as almost every student shoved books into their packs. "I have the results from your affinity tests, and I'm going to divide you into groups now based on your results. We are going to practice that 'instinctive reach.'"
Lachesis trembled slightly as she stood up from her desk, praying silently that the images would be gone today. There were only twelve students in this particular Fire Studies class, so it took only a short amount of time for Master Kilandra to arrange everyone in three groups of four each. There were three fireplaces in the room, one on each wall except the one the desks were near; she directed Celli to the wall opposite to the door, with the beginners. Lachesis was placed with the intermediate group opposite the desks, and the advanced group took the remaining fireplace.
"Your task," Kilandra said to Lachesis's group, once she finished instructing the beginners, "is to improve the finer aspects of control. For now, I would like you all to practice making--and holding--shapes out of the flames. By the time I come back to you, I would like each of you to have a shape to show me." She pointed at the logs in the fireplace. A stream of fire lept from her fingertip onto the wood, lighting them. "Get started." Each of the students nodded and went to work.
Lachesis took a deep breath and called some of the flames into her palm. She moved her hands about idly as she considered what to make, and the flames rolled into a ball. Her mind was clear of images so far; that was good.
A sudden tapping against her right leg made her look down. A large swan hatchling pecked at her leg. Lachesis frowned, transferring the flames to her left hand to reach down and shoo the hatchling. "What are you doing in here? It's dangerous. You might get burned."
The hatchling ignored her, pecking more insistently at her leggings. Lachesis tried shooing it away multiple times to no avail. Lachesis sighed. "I guess it's no use convincing you to leave. Just stay near me and avoid the flames," she said, before returning to trying to shape her flames. She pulled on the ball, which elongated, and slowly added details. Images started flickering erratically before her. She resolutely ignored them, focusing on her work, shaping the fire as quickly as possible before they overwhelmed her.
"Here," she said to the cygnet when she was done, "I made you. Do you like it?" One of the other apprentices glanced at her when she noticed Lachesis was talking to a hatchling, but Lachesis ignored her. The cygnet looked at the flames for a while before waddling in small circles by her. Lachesis returned her attention to keeping the shape intact. Sweat poured down her face as she forced more images out of her mind. It was getting more difficult, almost as if she was physically wrestling something. When was Master Kilandra going to come back?
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the master finally walking back over to the intermediate fireplace. Two of the other three apprentices had also finished their shapes, while the other frantically struggled to make his mass of flames into a coherent shape. Master Kilandra was only three feet away now. She only needed to maintain her creation for a few seconds longer--
A sudden image bloomed inside her mind before she could fight it off. Calida flew through the air, bleeding from several wounds, one of her wings half torn off, but somehow she still flew and landed before the Keep before bursting into flames, but suddenly rain pelted down from the skies and put out the fire and the egg left behind was cracked and lifeless--
"Apprentice Lachesis!"
Lachesis blinked and the vision faded as suddenly as it came, as a sharp pain came from her leg. She looked down to see that the swan hatchling had bitten her. The flame cygnet she'd shaped had disappeared. Master Kilandra hovered worriedly before her. "Are you all right? Your swan exploded--you nearly set yourself on fire!"
"Of--of course," Lachesis managed. "Just, uh, got nervous. Sorry."
Kilandra raised an eyebrow. "Well, such things happen," she said. "Just try again, then. You were doing fine until that happened." She turned to the apprentice who had not successfully shaped anything.
Lachesis nodded drew another ball of flames towards her, but the sight of an injured Calida floated before her eyes once more, so that she nearly lost control and let the flames drop on the ground. She sighed when they finally came to rest in her hands. At this rate, it was going to be a very long day.
Thank you!
and 
:
It's been a long time since I updated this...
