Chapter One

See Book for Description.

One

Stefanikin woke in a cold sweat.  The dreams were getting so intense, and there was no end to them.  Always the same, always the death, and the burning.  He swung out of the bunk he was in, and stood to his full height, careful not to awake his roommate.  He was an elf, and a student in the school of magic in Shivan. 

He quickly donned his robes, and grabbed his dagger, just in case.  Moving silently, using skills he had picked up during many hunting trips with his father, he quietly unlocked the door, and slipped out. 

Due to recent events at the school, there was a curfew, but he had a good relationship with the hall guards, and received a simple nod from them.  They knew, or at least suspected that he had something important to do.  He always walked with the intent of shoving anyone in his way out of it, and people knew it, and moved.  This served his purpose, for he didn't need to say anything to anyone, which suited him just fine. 

Moving to the edge of the grounds, he sat on a giant toadstool, and began to clear his thoughts for meditation.  He fed all of his worry, doubt, and fear into a flame, burning them to ash.  His home master, Grath Mardentiana had taught him this technique, and he had perfected it to work for him personally. 

A few seconds passed, with blissful silence of thought, and surroundings, until his toadstool promptly dropped him on his rear.  He sighed, and looked up.  The tree on the other side of the wall bent to drop an attractive young woman in front of him.  She was wearing brown robes flecked with green, perfect for blending in with the tree.

"Sorania...What a pleasure to see you."  He was glad to see her, but not this early, and not under these circumstances. 

Sorania grinned, flashing bright white teeth.  "Isn't it?"  She was aware of Stefanikin's discomfort, and was also aware that he was trying to meditate.  She just didn't care...What good was a rival, if they didn't torture you at every turn?  She took her duties very seriously, as was demonstrated.

Stefanikin rolled his eyes, shaking his head.  "Always.  Now, what do you want?"  He knew this wasn't a social visit, especially before dawn.  He wondered what she was up to, and more importantly, how did she know he was coming here? 

Sorania smiled mischievously.  "Nothing at all.  Although seeing you knocked on your arse was pretty funny.  Seriously, why don't you use your wards more?  I could have killed you right there."  She knew full well that she couldn't.  Stefanikin was a heavyweight when it came to destructive forces.  She was more the sneaky, controlling type.  It was unlikely that the two would ever get to that point anyway.  She did love to see him squirm though.

Stefanikin's face grew serious as he began to think.  He knew that she couldn't, knew that she knew that.  So why say such a thing?  Could she be the destroyer in his dream?  Not likely.  He was likely reading into the dream too much. It wouldn't help to become the paranoid mage that most people already thought he was.  Sorania, though his self-proclaimed rival, was not a real enemy, and he knew that.  He was thinking this, when the ground began to shake.  The sky went from pitch dark, to completely lit by fire.  If he didn't know better...He would say that his school was under attack! 

He looked at Sorania, and saw her still staring at the sky.  He grabbed her, and ran for the safety of the wall, just as a Flare came down.  He used one of the aforementioned wards, creating a shield around the two, that would absorb the majority of the blast.  He was flung backward from the blast, and hit the inside of the wall with enough force to snap limbs.  The shield buffered them, but his back still felt like one huge bruise. 

He got up, groaning in pain, and looked up.  The sky was raging with fire.  It looked like the sky was engulfed in it.  He shook Sorania, and said, "We have to get to safety.  Trust me.  You don't want to try to fight this.  Go, I will be right behind you."  He pushed her towards the gates, and turned to cover her escape, or to at least see what they were up against. 

(End of Chapter 1)