Student of the Academy
The air shimmered before him: a shining edge of golden metal appeared, followed by the rest of the box, which then dropped to the ground with a rattle. Amadeus leapt up onto it, hearing the familiar creak as it took his weight.
“First!” he cried, looking triumphantly round at the other students.
There was a collective groan, a glare from the youngest student, Salieri, and then silence as the others concentrated on summoning their boxes too. Grimwald was next to produce a box, and he nodded at Amadeus before turning to watch the others.
Amadeus watched Salieri's strained expression for a moment before his attention wandered and he found himself looking around the room. Sunlight beamed through the dusty window, illuminating the potion bottles and casting coloured reflections across the wall and onto the Master's desk.
Notes lay on the desk too, and Amadeus tried to read them; something called the Trine, an artifact which bonds souls, drawings of the catacombs underneath the Academy, and more interestingly, a report of undead creatures being sighted again on the border of the Kingdom.
Salieri whooped as his box finally materialised; an ugly, misshapen box that looked to be made of ashes. As it hit the ground it crumbled and fell apart.
Amadeus snorted.
Salieri glared at him, then raised his hand and flicked his hand at Amadeus' box, sending a tiny fireball at it. Amadeus leapt off the box with a yelp as the fireball hit, and then just watched as his beautiful gilded box started to melt.
“Enough!” The Master pushed Amadeus aside, and dismissed the boxes, leaving only the smell of smoke in the air. He looked at the students, who all quickly looked at the floor and remained quiet. Nobody wanted to stay behind to tidy or run errands on such a beautiful day as this one.
“Salieri, wait here. The rest of you, go on,” he said, dismissing them. The students rushed for the door and squeezed out into the sunlit courtyard, where a number of people were milling around the traders' stalls. Amadeus was glad to be excused early, but stung at being shown up by the youngest student at the Academy.
“You and he should try working together, you know,” Grimwald said, gesturing back towards the hall. “You could learn a lot from each other. I know he's just a kid, but he has that fireball spell down perfectly.”
Amadeus grunted. The fireball spell: the bane of his existence at the Astral Academy. Despite the Master's exhortations to apply himself, and despite his ability to conjure boxes and other items, he'd not yet managed to learn the fireball spell.
“I guess,” he said, already distracted. A pretty young woman had walked out from behind the nearest stall, carrying a few folds of brightly coloured fabric. Amadeus quickly smoothed the front of his robe and set a beaming smile on his face.
“You could help him with summoning,” Grimwald was saying. “How did you get so good at that, anyway?”
Amadeus wasn't listening: he had caught the attention of the young woman, who had smiled back and was now waiting by the stall, head lowered slightly.
“Here we go again,” muttered Grimwald. Amadeus never passed up an opportunity to talk to the girls, especially the pretty ones. This one was a lovely blue-eyed brunette, her hair pulled back from her face, and her light blue dress clinging to her slim frame. No, Amadeus wouldn't let this one pass him by.
“Hello,” said Amadeus, extending his hand towards the woman and conjuring a tiny pink flower as he did so. The woman gasped, and shifted her purchases to one arm so she could take the flower.
“You're a wizard!” she said, smiling excitedly up at Amadeus. He beamed back at her, and glanced towards Grimwald. The woman twirled the flower between her fingers, glanced at Grimwald and then back at Amadeus, and giggled.
“I am,” he said. “Would you like a seat?”
Amadeus raised his hands and conjured his usual gilded box, catching it as it materialised fully, and placing it gently on the floor. The woman sat down, eyes full of wonder, as Amadeus winked over his shoulder at Grimwald and joined her.
The air shimmered before him: a shining edge of golden metal appeared, followed by the rest of the box, which then dropped to the ground with a rattle. Amadeus leapt up onto it, hearing the familiar creak as it took his weight.
“First!” he cried, looking triumphantly round at the other students.
There was a collective groan, a glare from the youngest student, Salieri, and then silence as the others concentrated on summoning their boxes too. Grimwald was next to produce a box, and he nodded at Amadeus before turning to watch the others.
Amadeus watched Salieri's strained expression for a moment before his attention wandered and he found himself looking around the room. Sunlight beamed through the dusty window, illuminating the potion bottles and casting coloured reflections across the wall and onto the Master's desk.
Notes lay on the desk too, and Amadeus tried to read them; something called the Trine, an artifact which bonds souls, drawings of the catacombs underneath the Academy, and more interestingly, a report of undead creatures being sighted again on the border of the Kingdom.
Salieri whooped as his box finally materialised; an ugly, misshapen box that looked to be made of ashes. As it hit the ground it crumbled and fell apart.
Amadeus snorted.
Salieri glared at him, then raised his hand and flicked his hand at Amadeus' box, sending a tiny fireball at it. Amadeus leapt off the box with a yelp as the fireball hit, and then just watched as his beautiful gilded box started to melt.
“Enough!” The Master pushed Amadeus aside, and dismissed the boxes, leaving only the smell of smoke in the air. He looked at the students, who all quickly looked at the floor and remained quiet. Nobody wanted to stay behind to tidy or run errands on such a beautiful day as this one.
“Salieri, wait here. The rest of you, go on,” he said, dismissing them. The students rushed for the door and squeezed out into the sunlit courtyard, where a number of people were milling around the traders' stalls. Amadeus was glad to be excused early, but stung at being shown up by the youngest student at the Academy.
“You and he should try working together, you know,” Grimwald said, gesturing back towards the hall. “You could learn a lot from each other. I know he's just a kid, but he has that fireball spell down perfectly.”
Amadeus grunted. The fireball spell: the bane of his existence at the Astral Academy. Despite the Master's exhortations to apply himself, and despite his ability to conjure boxes and other items, he'd not yet managed to learn the fireball spell.
“I guess,” he said, already distracted. A pretty young woman had walked out from behind the nearest stall, carrying a few folds of brightly coloured fabric. Amadeus quickly smoothed the front of his robe and set a beaming smile on his face.
“You could help him with summoning,” Grimwald was saying. “How did you get so good at that, anyway?”
Amadeus wasn't listening: he had caught the attention of the young woman, who had smiled back and was now waiting by the stall, head lowered slightly.
“Here we go again,” muttered Grimwald. Amadeus never passed up an opportunity to talk to the girls, especially the pretty ones. This one was a lovely blue-eyed brunette, her hair pulled back from her face, and her light blue dress clinging to her slim frame. No, Amadeus wouldn't let this one pass him by.
“Hello,” said Amadeus, extending his hand towards the woman and conjuring a tiny pink flower as he did so. The woman gasped, and shifted her purchases to one arm so she could take the flower.
“You're a wizard!” she said, smiling excitedly up at Amadeus. He beamed back at her, and glanced towards Grimwald. The woman twirled the flower between her fingers, glanced at Grimwald and then back at Amadeus, and giggled.
“I am,” he said. “Would you like a seat?”
Amadeus raised his hands and conjured his usual gilded box, catching it as it materialised fully, and placing it gently on the floor. The woman sat down, eyes full of wonder, as Amadeus winked over his shoulder at Grimwald and joined her.
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