I shook my head free of the troubling thoughts as Ilyas and Rohak worked to set up a variety of targets for Rohak’s magic. Rocks, straw bales, and wooden structures were readily available, and Rohak could easily disintegrate them with little harm done. One of the Earth Mage cadets would simply have to construct more of each tomorrow during their training.
It was a win-win situation, in all honesty.
The training yard was large and partitioned into sections based on each magical affinity, with one long open section in the middle. This portion was used to simulate battles, allowing Mages to attack while others stayed out of harm’s way in their element-based sections. There was a large obsidian platform on the far edge of the yard, made for instructors to stand upon and watch as Mages learned to hone their magic. At one time, it was Rohak who stood upon that dais; now, the instructors rotated through classes with their group of cadets. My time would come soon enough, even though I’d just started a new cycle of cadets—the first part of their training was all in the classroom, learning magical theory.
It was dull, but important.
Rohak removed his cloak, tossing it to the hard-packed earth as he made his way into the center of the yard. The tension was high in his shoulders, and I watched as a small tendril of the ashes and embers of Rohak’s magic snaked out of his skin.
My eyebrows hit my hairline as Ilyas and I took that as our sign to scamper to safety.
Rohakneverlost control like that over his magic—it must be riding him hard right now.
The targets were positioned at the far end, near the base of the raised platform, and Rohak took ten large steps away from them before turning and stretching his hands out in front of him.
The movement was unnecessary; Mages didn’t need to wave their hands to activate or guide their magic, but many had quirks or motions that helped us concentrate and pull from our Vessels or crystals.
Immediately, power sprang to Rohak’s hands, burning so bright that it lit the entire training yard. With little coaxing, the diaphanous strands of magic coiled away from Rohak’s body, floating toward the targets at an alarming speed. Within seconds, his Destruction Magic curled around the boulders,disintegrating them to less than dust in an instant. Rohak didn’t even move his hands before the wisps turned and whipped toward the hay bales, devouring without compunction.
I reluctantly pulled my eyes from the awe-inspiring display to carefully watch Rohak’s face and body for any tells of distress or discomfort. Sweat beaded on his brow, and the muscles in his arms seemed to shake with the force of his magic.
Is he still holding back?
His lips peeled back in a snarl, exposing white, clenched teeth as the muscle in his jaw feathered and jumped. Rohak’s normally styled black hair stuck to his forehead, and his eyes were squeezed closed—in pain or concentration, I couldn’t tell.
He cried out, a sound that was swallowed by the cracking of timber as his magic leapt from one target to the next, and Ilyas moved to spring from the safety of our barrier.
I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “No, I’ll go.”
Ilyas turned his ocean-blue eyes to me, worry etched deep in his gaze and in the set of his brow.
“I cannot risk you, Lex.” There was pain in his voice, but it was covered with a healthy dose of fear.
Ilyas fears Rohak right now.
I shook my head. “It has to be me, Ilyas. He knows me. Trusts me. If you go to stop him, I don’t know what he’ll do.”
Before Ilyas could respond, I touched my hand to the Mage Orb, immediately retracting the barrier before stepping onto the training yard. Rohak’s magic had yet to wane; it even appeared stronger than before, the strands thicker like Rohak had lost control. I watched in terrified fascination as his magic jumped from the logs to lick along the columns that separated each of the elemental holds.
It took longer, but soon Rohak’s magic had consumed the four points and the Mage Orb that created the section reserved for Pain Mages.
Shit. He’ll destroy the whole training field if he can’t rein it in.And, if his magic still wasn’t satisfied at that point, it would come for the two living things in the arena: Ilyas and I.
I didn’t think twice, I closed the short distance between Rohak and me in a sprint, stopping just next to him without touching his skin. Who knew what would happen if I placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Rohak!” I shouted, trying to draw his attention and disrupt his concentration, but it was like I wasn’t even there. His eyes were clouded with embers, his soul lost to the pull of his Destruction Magic.
Fuck, this is worse than I thought.
I stepped to the side, still in Rohak’s peripheral but far enough away from the deluge of magic. It was loud here, this close to him, and hotter than I anticipated. It’d been years since we’d had a Destruction Mage cadet at the Academy. The cadet wasn’t part of my group, so, apart from the few times I’d seen Rohak release pieces of his magic during battle, this was the closest I’d ever been to Destruction Magic.
No wonder they were the most feared Mages in Elyria.
“Rohak!” I shouted again, cupping my hands around my mouth to no avail. I combed my hands anxiously through my hair, leaving it sticking on end, when I saw it: a trickle of blood from Rohak’s right ear and a twin stream from his right nostril.
Holy fuck. Mage Sickness—it’s going to eat him alive.
Without any thought, I did the most idiotic thing I could think of—I moved in front of Rohak’s outstretched hands, almost directly in the path of his magic. I held my breath, praying to any god that would listen, that this was not my end.
