Magic Academy (A Fantasy New Adult Romance) by Jillian Keep Read Free Book Online Page A

tell
them apart. “Either way…” he began, but then
nodded firmly. “Same boat as me then. Well… kinda.”
He knew it wasn’t. No human could be competing for such
recognition on the same level as an elf, of course.
    She forced a smile, but it was lopsided
and awkward as she scuffed her black shoes into the ground. “Well…
goodluck. I mean…” she trailed off, her tongue tied. She
had no idea how to talk to these elves, even if they did seem
genuine.
    But then, did she know how to talk to
her fellow humans that well either?
    The longest conversation she’d
had with anyone in her life might’ve been with a demon.
    “To you too,” he said with
a boyish smile, though she knew he had to be well beyond her years.
Elves always were somehow.
    The horn sounded signalling the call
for competitors to assemble, and Mae’lin gave a bow and
gestured for her to go ahead. “I shall see you in the fields
then, Firia. Goodluck,” he remarked genuinely.

Chapter 7
    Inside the grand tent Firia couldn’t
help but be amazed at the staggering scope of the area it covered. It
spanned the entire field, and housed within it dozens of house-sized
enclosures where different groups, each showing their own banner,
prepared for the festivities and competitions.
    The boom of the organizer’s voice
carried over the crowds, clearly instructing the young hopefuls on
where the competitions would be held.
    Firia had only two real tricks up her
sleeve: her ability to manipulate heat and fire, and her familiar.
She still held some small hope that the familiar wouldn’t be
necessary to impress the academies, so she wanted to keep that one in
reserve. Though she was at a distinct disadvantage.
    The competitions were mostly highly
regulated things, where the hopefuls competed on a series of tasks
that were laid out. These were contests that basically only wealthy
elvish families could aspire to, as only they could afford to give
their children the private tutors necessary to master so many little
introductory spells to numerous schools of magic.
    When she heard the announcer declare
the “general aptitude display competition,” she knew that
her best chance lay there. As she shuffled through the crowd towards
the indicated area, she saw Mae’lin doing the same and knew he
was in the same boat.
    Upon arrival, however, she saw the
competition would not be small. The crowd of young hopefuls was
enormous! The ring where they would display was large, but as she saw
they were only filtering through a couple at a time, she realized the
wait would be long.
    It wasn’t fair. They had all the
advantages, and still they couldn’t cut it in the specialized
fields. She was here because this was the best she could aspire to as
a human from meagre means. They had every advantage and still they
thought themselves to be on the same playing field as her.
    No. They thought they were better than
her.
    Her head lifted high and her eyes
narrowed as she looked around, seeking some way to move ahead. To
catch the gaze of someone important.
    The contests began in the meantime, and
she realized, even as she scanned for some way to get ahead, that the
reason they were being filtered two at a time was for the sake of
comparison. The first pair off was odd, only one of them seemed to
get that fact, and while the other did her best to impress the
judges, the more prepared one simply did his best to outdo her.
    It was a short match for that reason,
and quickly they shuttled them off, one towards one of the academy’s
area, the other towards the edge of the tent-dome where she’d
doubtlessly be forced to wander home defeated.
    It only heightened her sense of
urgency, and as the contests continued – growing more fierce
with time – she wedged her way to the front as best she could.
    Once there, she got a good sight of the
next competition. The tables arrayed with components for ease of
display. There were sconces for fires, which she noted first and
foremost, there