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

were basins of water – quickly refilled from
the last competitors – and an endless assortment of wooden
fixtures, practice dummies and all sorts of spell components.
    The pair-off began with one performing
a dazzlingly elven display before conjuring forth fireworks-like
explosions from their fingertips. It was small, but it looked intense
with how concentrated he was.
    The other countered with her
telekinesis, throwing a blanket over his hand and dousing out his
display with merely the power of her mind. It not only won applause
but laughter, and the young elvish woman was taken away with a grin
on her face to be haggled over by the academies.
    Firia saw then, in the midst of
watching the furor in the centerfield, a curious sight. A
brown-haired man. A human. He was dressed well for not being an elf,
and looked determined. Confident.
    She tried to move towards the kindred
spirit, but before she could get anywhere near him, he was ushered
through onto the field and she was left standing behind the academy
students, blocking off access during the competition.
    Still, she was where she wanted to be,
and with a prime view of the most intriguing fight of the day other
than her own, as far as she was concerned.
    The tall, brown-haired human strode up
to his place, facing off against an elvish man at his side. He didn’t
waste any time, and flipped his overcloak back before moving his
fingers in a hypnotic gesture. As his competition began his own
spell, she couldn’t help but notice the elf was having a hard
time with his own chant.
    Curiously, the crowd tittered here and
there, watching the elf get tongue-tied and begin to sway.
    It was confusing to her; she didn’t
quite get what was happening, because you weren’t allowed to
cast spells upon an opponent in the competition, so he surely wasn’t
hexing the elf or else he’d be disqualified. She looked around
and saw only some of the other competitors seemed to understand, but
all of the students and professors in the stands were openly amused.
    There was something going on that was
clearly lost on the less educated.
    Before she could decipher it, however,
the elf fainted. Not a single spell cast as he hit the ground.
    Applause broke out in the stands from
some select few of the senior academy students and professors who
could overcome their racial bias, while the unconscious elf was
carried off, and the triumphant human brought to be negotiated over.
    It was her chance then, and all the
world was abuzz with what would happen. The whole trajectory of her
life would be set then and there, and –
    She watched as the elvish guards picked
some others behind her, sending them on ahead of her.
    He stole her thunder!
    Damn it , she cursed, her blue
eyes turning cold as her hand shot up in the air as if she were in
class. “Hey!” Her shout could barely be heard over the
din of the crowd, and she repeated it, louder.
    How dare another human compete, just
before her. Distracting them from her.
    She didn’t know where the
animosity came from, truly, but her frustration was making her skin
buzz and he was the only target she could think of. She expected to
be treated poorly by the elves, but for them to usher him along and
ignore her?
    It was an insult!
    The head “usher” glowered
at her. “Wait your turn,” he snarled, keeping her back as
the contest resumed.
    The other beside him turned her gaze
upon Firia, “We’ve had one token-human for this year, and
that may be enough if you don’t watch yourself.
    It was my turn , she pouted,
unable to hide her anger.
    Her breath was quickened and she wanted
nothing more than to show them all, to impress them with her
demonstrations.
    Yet she couldn’t even understand
what the token human had done.
    She was out of her league.
    The competition went on, the ushers
passing her up again and again. She wanted to lash out and say
something, but the look on their faces said they’d relish the
opportunity to retaliate and maybe cost her