Read The Crystals of Tlalli: Awakened Affinities Page 31

itself.” Magi Locke gestured at the ground where the gust of wind had come from. Sure enough there was defiantly a path there through the wall. If you weren’t looking down at where the seam of the wall and ground met you would never see it! They followed Magi Locke through the narrow passage into the northern part of the grounds behind a high hedge of sculpted bushes. They continued through the maze of plants to a side entrance to the main building.

  “All faculty, Magi, and students assemble in the main Audience Hall.” Blared out of the schools loud speakers. Magi Locke frowned and led them to the hall.

  “I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should just go.” Rica whispered.

  “We may be able to find out what they want. We are already here just stay together. If any thing happens meet me at the hedge we came in at. Stay in the back of the hall by the observation booths, I’ll try to stay with you.” he whispered.

  As they entered the hall they saw more Opia, they were all dressed alike in brown pants and shirts with green belts, they held what looked like the same kind of disk that the thief Morick had used when he had killed Jim. The students were afraid, some of the younger ones were crying. There was evidence of struggle everywhere. Scorch marks on the walls of the buildings and some of the crystals on the towers were broken and laying in pieces on the ground. With a school full of magi you would have thought the Opia wouldn’t have had a chance. Rica thought she saw a dead student lying in the water of the pool and hurriedly looked away. How had they over powered the teachers?

  As they passed into the hall Opia guards were standing every few feet. As they went into the Audience Hall Rica saw a teacher from the blue tower standing with the Opia guards. His arms were crossed and she could see the gold ring on his hand, it was just like Moyo had described from his vision. Rica focused on the air right in front of her not looking at anything but where she was going. The farther into the room she got the more tense she felt. Rica’s pink affinity took that moment to reassert its self. The emotion and colors crashed over her like a wave and she stumbled. Zafira caught her arm stopping her from falling.

  “Are you alright?” she whispered.

  “Yeah, my affinities are back. It took me by surprise.” Rica whispered. Rica looked away from the chaos of colors and recited the calming spell Magi Locke had taught her the first day at school. “Whisper soft the edge of reason. Fear not the cutting edge.” She didn’t know why it worked but it did. The wave of colors and emotions broke around her and she was able to see where she was stepping. Focusing on keeping her head down and not drawing attention to her self she followed Zafira.

  Everyone was herded into the center of the room. Zafira tried to lead Rica toward the edge and the observation booths but an Opia guard stopped her. Magi Locke spoke to him and was shoved back. Rica felt sick with fear. Magi Locke took Zafira’s arm and said something to her then pushed his way to the front of the hall. Rica lost what was happening then. The students where told to sit on the center row of seats. Rica sat down and could feel something like a steel cable tighten around her. But the sensation was not a physical thing it was on a different level. It was trying to affect her power. She was shaking now uncontrollably. Zafira squeezed her hand. Her claws were partially extended and dug into Rica’s palm, distracting her for the moment.

  It wasn’t long after everyone was seated when a group of Opia stepped onto the stage. These were dressed differently, the brown pants were the same but they had a sash angling across from the left shoulder to the right side of their green belt. There were many shiny metals on the sash. Rica thought they must be officers or leaders of some sort. Irreverently she thought they looked like overgrown boy scouts with the sash, she giggled at the thought. She must be loosing it if she was finding this in anyway funny.

  Everyone seemed to gasp at the same time when an old man was pushed onto the stage, his hands bound behind his back. From where the girls sat it looked as though he had been beaten. Zafira squeezed her hand painfully, “That’s the President of the Kahsha Nation.” She whispered. There were two other bound Kahsha brought onto the stage. The Officers stood and looked at the students not saying anything, all eyes were drawn to the older Opia. He wore epaulets with gold tassels in addition to the sash; he had a short stick in his right hand that looked a lot like a riding crop. He grabbed the Presidents arm and pulled him forward to the edge of the stage. Then he hit him and he fell to his knees. He reached out and grabbed the Presidents hair and pulled his head up. Then he looked out at the crowd again.

  “There is no escape. There is no hope. There is only obedience. You will all come to know this well.” His voice carried to the back of the hall and echoed there. It was harsh and cruel. He smiled and Rica felt a shiver go down her spine. Rica’s tension was focusing in her stomach. She felt strange the more afraid she became the stronger the feeling of heat in her stomach. She felt sweat form on her brow. The General (that must be what he was) was speaking, but Rica couldn’t seem to focus on his words her head was hurting now. It was like when she was in class with Magi Locke but stronger. Rica shook her head. The band that was trying to squeeze her seemed to snap and give a little.

  After speaking for what seemed like hours the General reached over and drew the stick (crop thing) across the Presidents throat. The skin parted and blood gushed out spraying the first row of terrified teachers and students. The band ripped away from Rica like it had been a licorice rope and not some powerful thing. The relief was wonderful. They had to get out of there. Rica decided to focus her energy at the floor around the stage. Fire burst up from the wood of the stage and engulfed the curtains on the walls. The heat in Rica’s stomach was gone and a cold emptiness had replaced it. Her head no longer hurt and there was utter chaos in the room. Every one was screaming and running this way and that falling over each other. Zafira was pulling her. Then they were outside some how and Magi Locke was with them. All she could do was try to keep up and not loose them.

  They ran towards where the treb had been left but there were Opia all over. They had to leave the treb behind. Magi Locke led them to another building outside the walls of the academy and they were now in the basement. It was dark and Rica wished she could see where they were going when a light like an LED flashlight lit up behind her. Rica let out a frightened yip. There was a ball of light above her left shoulder just hovering there.

  “Where did you learn that spell Rica?” Magi Locke asked.

  “I don’t know. It was dark so I wanted light and there it was!” Rica said.

  “You need to put it out or they could find us.”

  “Ok.” Rica imagined the light going out and it popped out of existence. That would come in handy Rica thought.

  “Your attack in the assembly hall will but them on high alert so we need to be unobserved.”

  “I was only trying to help! He killed that man. I thought we could get away if we had a diversion. I didn’t think it would work but it did.”

  “That was a good idea but dangerous. They can track magic signatures like that you can’t use any more magic for a while, ok? I tried to cast in there but my magic was blocked somehow. They must have used a dampening device to be able to take the school like they did.”

  “I could feel a band, like something trying to squeeze me. But it broke and I was able to cast the spell.” Rica could still remember the feeling of the band around her mind.

  “You are powerful to be able to break such a device’s hold on you. I am a master of the red affinity and have been considered by many to be powerful. Yet I could not cast in there.” Magi Locke looked at her intently.

  “I – I don’t think I’m powerful.”

  “You are. Remember the calming spell I thought you. Use it everyday. Powerful emotions can trigger affinity bursts and in someone with your gifts that could be devastating. I wish I had more time to teach you.”

  “I will do as you say Magi Locke. I promise.” Was she that powerful or was it something else. Maybe her m
agic was different because she was from another world. Maybe that is why the device hadn’t worked on her.

  They stayed in the basement behind some old chests and boxes until it was dark. Magi Locke went and checked to see if there was another way out of the building and came back to report that there was and it might help them leave undetected. He told them the city’s defense shield had been activated and they would have to find one of the smugglers tunnels that had been dug in the far past to smuggle goods into and out of the city by the less then law abiding citizens. He told them he knew where three such tunnels were. The one closest was not far from where they were now. It was a harrowing night and when they finally got out of the city they found themselves in a wooded area that didn’t appear to be used much. They found a cave a few hours later and they entered it to get some rest.

  When they woke, Magi Locke scouted the area outside the cave and came back saying all was clear so far. In the flight from the city in the dark they had somehow gotten on the other side of the lake. Shani was farther away then they had hoped it would be. It was a long dark hike through the forest to Shani. When they arrived they found their hometown to be a different place then when they had left. The