Chapter 1: Beatrice
Standing at the front of the room, the head teacher looked out at us. A hundred mages, chosen to hone our skills at the Academy. I stood alone, leaning against one wall, the weight of my choice heavy on my shoulders. Both my parents insisted I turn down the offer, and when I didn’t... well, I wasn’t sure they were going to forgive me. Making the choice I did was a betrayal.
They were nulls. Being born with power was one thing, but only the strongest were offered a place at the Academy, something I was still working through myself. How was it the daughter of two nulls was born with the power to be sent a letter by the head teacher himself? I studied him, remembering his words. Handwritten by a man who seemed to understand the complicated decision I had in front of me, he asked me to make the journey because he believed I could be something special.
From what I knew of Devin he’d been the head teacher for several generations, immortality granted by the Council as they needed consistency within the Academy. We were the next leaders, if we reached the end of the year, but most dropped out long before. Only the most capable would find themselves at the end-of-year tournament, a way for us to show what we’d learned - and they would occasionally choose one of us to join the Council.
With a gesture, Devin silenced everyone in the room. “It’s a pleasure to welcome you all to the Academy. During your time here our task is to guide you to become who you were always supposed to be, and sometimes that means leaving before the end of the year. This isn’t a path that’s right for everyone to take. You are here to see whether it is.
“If it’s not, then we will help you work out what you could do with the rest of your life. No one fails here. They simply find out what their limitations are.” He smiled. “I was once a student here myself, and I remember what it was like to hear the stories of the Academy, but I promise you we don’t give up on anyone.” Slowly, he walked around the room. “For some it will be the academics which are the hardest part, with there being other options out there for you should you find that’s the case.
“Others will find it’s the sheer amount of work. I’m not willing to pretend your time here will be easy, because it won’t. We want to test and push you to your limits, and for you to share then with us when you find them. You’re here to learn everything there is to learn about you, and the magic you’re capable of.” As he passed me, he rested a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve all come from different backgrounds. Here you’ll learn about each other too.
“You’re encouraged to make friends. The people you meet here will become your long-term allies. Get to know the people in your classes, build up relationships, and share your skills. One of the most important lessons you will learn is how to work with other people, especially those who are the most different from you.
“Every step you take from this day forward will lead you to the best future you could have. All I ask is that you make the most of however long it is you’re here. I want you to enjoy your time, as hard as the work will be, because that’s more important than anything else. If you have any issues, then come to me, and I’ll do whatever I need to in order to help you deal with them.
“Now today is about getting to know each other. You were each given a room number. It’s a room you’ll be sharing with one other person, so the best place to start is with them. From tomorrow you’ll be taking your first classes. Remember, no choice you make is final. If you find a class isn’t working for you, we’ll get you moved into something which does, because we have no expectation, you’re going to know exactly what your strongest skills are yet.
“As time passes, you’ll learn with us what your strengths and weaknesses are, and how to support those around you who have complementary strengths or weaknesses. One of the most important things you can learn while you are here is how to mitigate your own weaknesses by working with others. Great power doesn’t mean you’re infallible.
“Does anyone have questions?” Stilling in the spot he started in, Devin looked around the room slowly, but no one said anything. “In that case, I’ll leave you to find your rooms, and begin getting settled in. Should you need anything, I’ll be in my office. All you need to do is knock on the door. If you don’t feel comfortable knocking on my door, then I’m certain you’ll find a teacher you can turn to.”
I watched as the others left the room, waiting for a moment alone with Devin. He looked over at me, one eyebrow raised, as I tried to find the words to stand a chance of being able to speak my thoughts. “Am I truly supposed to be here?”
“Yes, Beatrice, you are.” He stepped closer to me. “I don’t think for a moment you’d have made the journey if you didn’t believe it, considering how likely it is your parents didn’t react well to learning of the letter.” His eyes met with mine. “My parents didn’t, back when I was first chosen to join the Academy. They thought I was going to be there to help them for the rest of my life, because it was how they envisioned my life. As far as I could tell, they didn’t stop to ask themselves what it was I might want.”
“Both were nulls?”
Nodding, he raked a hand through his hair. “Although nulls are rare, they do often prefer to marry other nulls. It’s understandable, being so different to the rest of us, but that complicates the lives of their children. Children they assume will also be nulls, only more often than not it doesn’t work like that. Then we’re given the task of helping our parents, because we have magic when they don’t, leading to resentment, often on both parts.”
“Coming to the Academy means I’m never going home again.” I breathed in deeply. “They made it very obvious I was making a choice they would never agree with, and the fact I left them alone was a sign of who I was.” I looked down at the floor, seeing their faces once more, neither of them willing to hear a word I was saying. As far as they were concerned, I was no longer their daughter. “Your letter was part of the reason I made the journey, Head teacher, because you seemed to understand.”
“Deciding to come wasn’t a mistake. I promise you this was what you needed to do.” He rested a hand on my shoulder again, and I lifted my head, eyes meeting with his again. The sincerity in them was something I needed to see. “Had you not the strength within you would have been lost. I know you feel it too, the certainty something is coming.”
“I do, and I don’t know why.”
“Those of us who have the strength you have are connected more closely to the world, because of our closer connection to the magic.” Devin shrugged. “It’s something you’ll understand better in time, but I’m sure you know the history of the Academy and Lethia, which... I think something we should plan for you is a history lesson, with me.”
“Head teacher...”
“Long before I became the head teacher of the Academy, I was a normal teacher, Beatrice, and sometimes I miss it. There are a few others I believe could do with spending time in that lesson, too. One thing I’ve come to understand is what it means to be in this position, as I see people in a way I never did before. You were all chosen for a reason. I believe in who you are. Yet there are those who are more likely to make it to the end of the year. You’re one of them, and the position you end up in means understanding our world differently to most.
“Unfortunately, the past is something often repeated, by those who are unwilling to see why the choices made were mistakes. Sometimes it’s the same person making the same mistake multiple times, because they see things in a way the rest of us don’t, and the more you learn the easier it will be to avoid falling into those kinds of patterns. Not that it’s always a certainty.”
Studying Devin, I could see the mix of emotions he was feeling, although I didn’t entirely understand why. From his words it seemed he’d fallen into the pattern of repeating the past, something I had a feeling I would understand if I took him up on his offer of history lessons. Still, seeing as he was someone I needed to learn from, I was uncertain if I should add extra work to my burden before I’d even started.
“Does this mean I’ll have two history lessons?”
“Fortunately, no. I offer this advanced class rarely, but it means you get out of the other one.” He smiled. “I will not make things harder for you than they already would be.” Gently, he pushed my shoulder. “You should meet your roommate. I’ll get things set up and send the offer out to those who get something from the lesson.”
Tightening my grip on the handle of my bag, I nodded. “I’ve never been around this many people with power.”
“You will get used to it. It takes some time, but after a few days this will be normal to you.”
“Hopefully.” I walked a couple of steps before looking back at him. “Thank you.”
“Nothing to thank me for, Beatrice. This is my job.” He smiled again. “You’re going to be fine. I promise.”
Walking away, I wondered who he was trying to convince I’d be fine - me, or him. Devin was definitely an interesting person, at least according to my history lessons. My parents had, even though they weren’t entirely comfortable with the idea, let me learn what it meant to have power, believing it was best for all of us if I had a good level of control. Of course, they’d never once thought it was possible I might get a letter from the Academy.
My mentor mentioned it was a possibility, however. She saw me in a way my parents didn’t. Had it not been for her urging, I might not have accepted the Academy’s offer, faced with the loss of the two people who’d raised me. Yet I saw their choice for how it was with her help. They were doing whatever they could to hold me back, to keep me with them, because they’d got used to having someone in their lives who could do all the things they couldn’t.
Following the signs, I believed were put up for the new arrivals, I made my way through multiple hallways, and up two flights of stairs. At the top of the second flight, on the floor most of the dorms were, I stopped, thinking about the size of the Academy. It was too large for the original set up to have been a hundred students a year. Maybe it was something Devin would teach us.
Slowly, checking room numbers, I made my way down the hallway, to the room I’d been told was mine. When I stepped in, I was expecting there to be someone already settled in, but my roommate was sitting on a chair. Her eyes met with mine. “I was waiting for you. Taking a side when you didn’t have a choice wasn’t something I was willing to do.”
“It would have been fine. I was the one who held back.”
“Talking to the head teacher, right?” I nodded as she stood, holding her hand out. Taking it, she shook mine briskly. “I’m Sab. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Beatrice. You saw me?”
“One thing I’ve always been good at is understanding people. You were uncertain, so it made sense you’d hold back to speak with the person who chose you. I got a personal letter too. He offer the advanced history class?”
“Yes, he did.” I studied her. “You seem to know more about me than most.”
“No, it’s more like I know more about Devin than most. This isn’t my first time here, Beatrice.” She shrugged. “I’ve been here a few times through my lifetimes.”
Finding words wasn’t exactly a simply process then. Lives? I shook my head, trying to work out how to respond without sounding like an idiot, but I didn’t think there was one. “How many times?”
“Six, I think. Always strong, but never strong enough for the Council.” There was a flash of something in her eyes, amusement maybe, gone before I could understand it. “Maybe it’s for the best. We have so much ahead of us.”
“Maybe you should be the one teaching the history lesson.”
Laughing, Sab shook her head. “I’ve never been a teacher. Devin, on the other hand, always was.” She looked at the room. “Which side would you prefer, unless you don’t have a preference?”
“Whichever side is fine with me.”
Nodding, looking between the two beds and the door, she nibbled on her bottom lip. “I think you’ll be best off on the right. The bed’s a little further away from the door. We have no reason to think anything untoward will happen, but you never know.” She stepped to the left as I watched her. “I’m likely to say a lot of things you have no reason to understand, because of my history. My task, for now, is to protect you, as best I can.”
“Protect me?”
“I see a lot of power in you. That makes you a target, especially now you’re here, but you’d have been a target out there too. Here is the best place for you. You’ll learn how to channel your power here, using the magic we can all use and your specialist skills.” She looked at me again. “I’m sure they gave you the details in the letter.”
“Most of them.”
“Good, then you understand the position you’re in.” She dropped her bag on the bed. “Everything you learn here will help you survive whatever the future throws in our direction.”
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