Chapter 3

You try to slow your breathing and focus your mind. Naema might be more skilled than you, much more powerful than you, but the Master always says that we must keep fighting until the end!

If you could just take a moment to try and cast a Healing Spell you would be in a much better position to-

You jerk forward suddenly and Naema’s blade just misses your back! You tumble forward and come up with your back facing one of the tables in the room. Healing was apparently out of the question at the moment.

You decide that if you cannot take the time to heal, and defense is failing, then the only option left is to attack!

You close your eyes and listen for her approach. In the darkness behind your eyelids, you see a beam of red light arcing towards you! Without thinking, you leap aside, rolling over a table in the process. The sound of a muttered curse of exasperation follows you. Opening your eyes, you see no sign of your would-be murderer.

With no other options, you close your eyes again. Almost immediately a scarlet trail of light shoots into the space in front of and above you before passing over your head and stopping at waist height behind you.

On instinct, you reverse your grip on your sword and thrust the blade out behind you.

A wet cough spackles your neck and shoulders with droplets of blood and Naema appears, impaled through the chest by your blade. You pull the blade free and whirl around, ready to parry, but an attack never comes. The scarlet dagger clatters to the floor and the older girl staggers backward – dead before she hits the floor.

You fall to the floor, gasping in shock and confusion. In your six years of training, you’ve never actually killed a human before.

In an attempt to distract yourself from the reality of your situation you allow your training to take control. You check over your injuries, taking a minute to cast a Healing Spell on yourself.

Then, resolutely avoiding looking at Naema’s body, you make your way towards the Master’s living quarters.

Goto: [ Chapter 7 ]