Jake felt dread creep up his spine. Once again, he was in a life-or-death situation. He quickly glanced around to take in his surroundings. His survival instinct and his logical mind worked together. The magic circles were carved on the stone floor and covered the whole room. Some shelves filled with books stood against the stone walls. Behind the Grandmaster, there was a big painting of a magic battle. It took only an instant for Jake to realise he was trapped. What are those wards for? His mind raced to understand the situation and find an escape plan.

  Meanwhile, the Grandmaster kept his hands flat on the table. Sitting straight, the hint of a smile on his face. He looked like a teacher waiting for his student to figure out a complex problem. Jake breathed deeply, trying to lower his heartbeat. Frowning, he looked at the slow pulsing red light on the ground. It clung to his feet, like shifting flames. They emanated heat. He could feel it through his shoes. He didn’t know exactly what this power was, but his instinct screamed it was dangerous. Jake felt a deep anger smoldering in his guts. Again, someone had taken his freedom and held him against his will. Rational thoughts dimmed in his mind, replaced with the urge to lash out at his captor. The red pulse answered to his emotional shift and increased in intensity. Noticing the change, the prisoner calmed down and raised an eyebrow. “So these wards react to aggressive intent,” he muttered.

  The Grandmaster kept his hands on the table. His smile widened. “Yes, I think I can make a student out of you,” he said. Then he nodded toward the green lines. “What about those?” The thief wasn’t sure how to react to the old man's questions and behavior. He decided to probe for more information. “Why am I still alive?” He asked. The wizard's eyes shone. “Straight to the point? As you wish.” The old man's gaze bore into Jake’s, “Did you steal from the College?” Jake knew how to respond to that. He looked confused and scratched his head. Then he grabbed his chin and frowned. “No, I don’t think so.” The ground flared green. The thief shook his head, annoyed at being caught. He understood that the red ward restrained his body, and the green one his mind. He squinted and growled through clenched teeth, “A lie detector.” His quick assessment of the situation won him an appreciative nod from the Grandmaster. Then, with a mocking smile, he added, “I would clap, but I’m slightly busy at the moment.” At those words, Jake noticed that the old man’s hands lay on small magic circles, etched in the wood. Light shone through the skin, the left one was green, the right one was red.

  Jake's anger swelled as a wave about to crash, the ward on the ground flared red, and ethereal flames roared up to Jake’s knees. His pants burned and smoldered. The Grandmaster raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure about that?” Ignoring the pain, Jake prepared himself to charge forward. Pink mist coalesced around his fists as he crouched low. His eyes were those of a cornered, crazed beast.

  Before Jake could attack, the door burst open. It slammed against the wall with a loud bang, and a few books fell from a shelf. A slender young woman with strawberry-blonde hair rushed in, breathless. "Grandmaster! I felt it again!" Jake's eyes grew wide, and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized her. She was the student from the park, the one who could detect his magic. Guilt crept in as he remembered how he had made her life miserable when he experimented with the jewel.

  The Grandmaster said calmly, “Thank you, Jessica, this time I felt it too.” His gaze drifted to Jake, who was still gaping at Jessica. The female blushed and shuffled backward. “I’m sorry, Grandmaster, I’ll leave you to it.” The wizard beckoned her and said, “Stay, Jessica. You seem to have a soothing presence on our guest.” It was Jake’s turn to blush. He looked down to hide his embarrassment. The flames had disappeared. The ward was dormant again.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The Grandmaster stood up. He smiled warmly at the confused young man. As he walked toward him, he said, “Welcome to the College, Jake. There is a lot we need to talk about.” When he reached Jake, he patted him on the shoulder. The wizard chuckled, “As you can see, both of us like to plan with precautions, and we share a sense for theatrics as well.” Then his tone grew serious, and he added, “You have many questions, and you will find the answers here.”

  He adjusted his gold-trimmed robe and strolled toward the window. Gazing absently outside. Jake appreciated the gesture and slowly regained his composure. He self-consciously tried to rub the soot off his clothes. Jessica moved toward the window to stand next to her mentor. In passing, she glanced at Jake, they made eye contact and exchanged a shy, awkward smile.

  Jake was about to talk, then froze. The air felt thicker with a sudden tension. The Grandmaster was still looking outside. But now his whole body had a sharp focus. His tone cut through the air like a scalpel. “It looks like answers will have to wait.” Jake took a step toward the window and peered outside. A black carriage had stopped. A man with black clothes slowly got out and looked in his direction. He couldn’t help it. He jumped backward, a shiver running down his spine. He knew that man. He saw him every night in his nightmares. It was the monster Gareth fought at the bridge.

  In a flurry of fabric, the Grandmaster had rushed to his desk and slammed a hand on a small carved circle. The air in the corner, near the painting, shimmered. Then it took the shape of a big bubble. It quickly expanded before popping with a soft sound. A towering man was standing there. The Grandmaster's tone was commanding as he said, “Gareth, take your student out of here, now.”

  Jake's eyes snapped to his mentor, gaping. His mind was blank. While he hoped Gareth survived, some part of him knew he had died fighting at the bridge. Grief and hope collided in his heart. The shockwave made him dizzy. The room spun, and he lost his balance. Gareth's strong arms steadied him. “There, there, boy, looks like your legs are weak. We will need to work on your squats.” The apprentice's face was pale, but he tried to mirror his mentor's lazy grin.

  He locked eyes with the warrior, and his fragile smile shattered. Gareth's right eye was bandaged. The visible skin around it was a vision of a nightmare. Thin black dendritic lines spread outward, pulsing slowly. Jake felt a primal terror at the sight of it. He couldn’t explain why, but it felt like seeing the inexorable march of death and decay.

  Gareth patted Jake’s cheek. “Just a scratch, boy, don’t worry.” The Grandmaster's voice cracked like a whip. “Gareth!” The wizard had pushed on a small sigil etched in the wall. A hidden door appeared on the back of the office, in the middle of the painting. It opened a passage going straight down into unending darkness.

  Hurrying back to the desk, the Grandmaster then threw one of the pink spheres to Jessica, the ones Jake had confused for candies. She caught it and looked confused. “We have to make it believable,” said her mentor. The woman frowned, took a determined battle stance, and crunched the sphere in her clenched hand. A pale pink mist wrapped around her fist like a halo. She breathed in and then threw her fist at the Grandmaster's face with a battle cry. Jake winced at the sound of the impact. The wizard’s head snapped back, and he stumbled backward, his knees buckling. He slowly rose, blood was pouring out of a deep gash above his eyes. Gareth's voice was full of pride when he said, “That’s my girl.” Jake was once again gaping at the female, his eyes wide with amazement.

  A strong hand lay on Jake’s shoulder. His mentor's voice said firmly, “Time to go, say goodbye, boy.” Jake stood frozen, entranced by what he had seen. He tried to say “Thank you,” “I’m sorry,” and “When can I see you again?” at the same time. His talent for words did not let him down. His brain weaved the words and the feelings together, and Jake let out the most beautiful “Gah…” he ever said.

  There was no time for more. Gareth had picked him up and dragged him toward the secret door. The two mist users jumped and disappeared, swallowed by the darkness below.

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