“We weren’t expecting them at the Academy,” Antello retorted. “This time they don’t know about us being here and there are only four of them. We can take them.”
“We aren’t taking anyone,” Syman corrected. “I said I would go have a look, not attack them. Besides, we really don’t know how many there are. We saw four, but there could have been more in the house before we got here. I do not look forward to fighting any raiders, not even four. I do not think we would fare very well. They are skilled fighters and we are just students. You would do well to remember that Antello.”
“And we are not going to run away,” interjected Lyra. “Aguara may be in trouble and he has been a friend of the Academy for as long as I can remember. Most of our supplies come from this village. Aguara supplies most of our food. I cannot run away while there might be something I can do to help him, even if it is just going to the village for help.”
“You people are crazy,” Walak spat. His face was white and beads of perspiration dotted his brow. “These people are killers and would not give a thought to cutting our throats. You may want to play games with them, but I am getting out of here. I am not going to die just to inflate your egos.”
“We’ve already killed one of them,” bragged Antello. “They are not so tough. Master Caulder taught us well and we know how to take care of ourselves.”
“Enough,” demanded Syman. “Walak, if you want to leave you are free to do so, but I would not go towards the village if I were you. There were over a hundred raiders heading to the village and while I am not sure how many are in the farmhouse, I know it is not near a hundred. That means the rest are in the village most likely. Antello, stay and guard Lyra. I am going to check out the farmhouse.”
Cutting off any response, Syman rose and dashed into the trees. Antello rose to follow and looked down at Lyra. The moment of hesitation took Syman out of sight and Antello sighed and sat down next to Lyra. “I wish he would have waited for me. It would be safer with two of us going down.”
“Actually, you are better off here,” smiled Lyra. “We can watch and if he gets into trouble, we can create a diversion for him.”
“Watch?” questioned Antello. “It is so dark now that we cannot even see him.”
“True,” Lyra replied, “but the raiders cannot see him either. The lights from the farmhouse will allow Syman to see in, but the raiders will be blind looking out into the darkness. Syman will be alright.”
Lyra hoped she was right. She knew Syman was a cautious person, but she could not help but feel fearful for him. She knew that Syman had left abruptly to stop Antello from going with him and Lyra agreed with his judgement. Antello was too quick to pick a fight even with outrageous odds. She looked over at Walak who had not left but sat apart from the others, his body visibly shaking. The sweat was pouring off his face and Lyra could smell fear emanating from him. It was obvious that he wanted to leave, but he was afraid to go off on his own. Lyra felt sorry for him.
“Everything will work out, Walak,” soothed Lyra. “They will never know that Syman was there and he will back soon. We are not looking to fight with anyone, least of all the raiders, but we have to get word to someone in the village about what happened at the Academy. You will soon be back home with your family.”
“If they are not killed by the raiders,” sobbed Walak. “They might be lying dead back there now and we wouldn’t even know.”
“Not unless your father gave up using his ornate coach,” offered Lyra. “The coach was not there when the battle took place and I have never seen him arrive without it. If we can get word to the village, then he will know enough not to go there without troops. Do you see why it is important that we get word to someone about the massacre?”
Walak nodded. “I have never seen anything so terrible before. One side cutting anyone who got in their way and the other burning people where they stood. It was horrible. All of those students dead and just because of your father.”
Lyra winced at Walak’s remarks, but she withheld the words she wanted to blurt out. She told herself that Walak was frightened and didn’t really mean what he said, still the words stung like a lashing. Lyra wondered why her father had resorted to offensive magic. She would not have believed it had she not witnessed the scorch marks on the walls and the burnt bodies. She had thought her father would die before he would ever use offensive magic again, but she was obviously wrong. Maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did.
“Tell me what happened at the Academy,” Lyra asked hoping to get Walak’s mind away from his fear. Perhaps just talking about it might help her as well as Walak. She knew the shock of the attack and the loss of her parents had not fully hit her yet and she may well react the same as Walak if she did not start talking about it.
Walak looked from Lyra to Antello, but Antello was not paying any attention to the conversation because he was concentrating on the farmhouse below, searching for any sight of Syman. Walak seemed to warm to the idea of talking and Lyra saw his body relax slightly as the shaking subsided.
“It all happened so fast,” Walak began while digging at the grass with a short stick, his eyes directed downward as if afraid to meet Lyra’s gaze. “I heard the fighting downstairs first. It was faint as if Master Caulder was having a particularly raucous session with his students. Then Master Caulder came running up the stairs with some of his students, yelling about an attack. I cannot remember the whole conversation, but I sensed that he was forfeiting the lower floors to the raiders and the Academy would make its stand in the magic classrooms.”
Walak paused to wipe at his eyes and returned his attention to the stick he was playing with. “Like I said, I was in an empty room so I did not see everything. Rhodella was in the classroom with Master Malafar and they started arguing. I think he knew the raiders were coming for him and he was going to give himself up to stop the slaughter. Rhodella would not hear of it though and shouted for him to fight back. He refused.
Walak started crying again as he relived the nightmare and Lyra felt ashamed that she was making him talk, but she knew that he had to tell his story to heal his troubled mind.
“I just cannot believe that Master Malafar would not use magic to protect the students,” cried Walak. “We looked up to him and Rhodella pleaded with him as the raiders started charging up the stairs from both ends of the hall. Master Caulder and his cadets held the raiders off at one end of the corridor, but the raiders started coming up the other stairway and he was forced to retreat to the classroom. Only the burning fireballs hurled at the raiders allowed him and his remaining cadets to get back to the classroom.”
“So Master Malafar finally relented to use his magic,” Lyra sighed. “It didn’t do much good though, did it?”
Walak looked up and met Lyra’s eyes. “No, he never did use magic. Rhodella was the one throwing the fireballs. I didn’t even know she knew magic, but she killed a lot of raiders. Master Malafar was furious with her, but it didn’t matter for long. The raiders forced their way into the classroom over the burning bodies of their comrades. There were just too many of them to stop. I knew it was over then. I hid in a closet until I could not hear any of them.”
Lyra sat staring at Walak with her mouth gaping. It wasn’t possible. Rhodella had never known magic. Walak must be mistaken. Yet she had seen the scorch marks and had thought it impossible that Master Malafar would use offensive magic.
“Are you sure?” Lyra questioned Walak. “Are you absolutely sure it was Rhodella and not Master Malafar or one of the students?”
“Positive,” Walak stated. “You didn’t know she used magic either I guess. Well, she knew what she was doing. I have seen magicians throw fireballs before and hers were quite powerful. She must have been a Master in her own right. I only wish that Master Malafar had taught us that spell. The students might have been able to survive the attack. Now they are all…”