The Woodward Academy, Year 4

Chapter 12: May

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"Call to witness, David Stroud."

David rose from his seat in the audience and walked up to the witness chair. This courtroom looked much like the one he'd been in for Elliot's hearing, only this was a full-fledged trial.

The bailiff stepped up to him and said, "Raise your right hand." David did so. "Do you, soberly and with due gravity, swear to the king that the testimony you are about to give is wholly and completely true, with no omissions, prevarications, or twisted truths?"

"I do."

"You may be seated."

David sat down and made himself comfortable, waiting for the magistrate to begin his questions.

"You're becoming something of a regular in my courtroom," the magistrate said. It was the same one David had been dealing with in these matters for four years now.

David smiled. "Not by my choice, Your Honor."

"I'm sure. Now, explain how you are involved in this situation."

"After the second theft, with no clues at all about how the thief had entered the dorm room, it became clear that the school was going to begin to blame me for the thefts, since, as a demighost, I can fade right through doors and walls. I knew that the only way to keep my name clear was to try to find the thief, so, after proving to the Rimohrs and the staff that I was not the culprit, I ended up assisting the security staff, and the Rimohrs, with their investigation."

"All right. Now, I can already see Mr. Gillenham's court aide twitching, so, can you explain to the court how you proved your innocence?"

"Sure. After the second theft occurred, I went to Officer Garibaldi, and asked him to place a magical trace on me. Ever since last October, the Rimohrs have been able to know where I was at any given moment. After the third theft, Agent Wilson checked the trace, which clearly showed that I was nowhere near the crime scene. Likewise, it has been checked after every proceeding theft, and I have been cleared by the trace."

"Very good. Now, after you proved you weren't involved, what assistance did you provide?"

"Well, in the beginning, I just felt that a pair of eyes that thought like a student would be helpful. As I told them at the time, since the key was finding something that was out of the ordinary, it would help them to have someone who knew what 'ordinary' was for the Academy."

"So you merely accompanied them."

"In the beginning, yes sir. The thefts in November and December, I merely accompanied the Rimohrs. The theft in January was perpetrated against me, and so I was the first one to see the scene, but I still called the Rimohrs."

"What about the following crimes?" the magistrate asked.

"After January, the Rimohrs stopped showing up. They left it to the school's security department to do the investigation. At that point, I began assisting Seth Tupper, the head of the school's security department. Seth treated me more like a partner than an adjunct."

"So, from February to April, you were, for all intents and purposes, a full-fledged investigator in the crimes?"

"Yes, Your Honor, I would characterize myself as the assistant investigator."

The magistrate nodded. "Outline for us what you discovered over time."

"Not a lot," David said with a smile. Those in the court laughed. "From the beginning, there were very few clues left. In fact, in the first few crimes, there were no clues at all, except that the lack of clues was, itself, something of a clue.

"In December, we discovered a muddy footprint, which matches the size and style of Mr. Gillenham's shoes. In February, we discovered some specialized training dirt, used for elemental manipulation classes, of which Mr. Gillenham is a student. In March, we discovered a hair, which we later determined to be consistent with the hair of his familiar, Melissa. And in April, we found a fingerprint, confirmed to be from Melissa. This is the sum total of the physical evidence of these crimes, Your Honor."

"How did that little bit lead you to Mr. Gillenham?"

"It didn't. In fact, the hair and the fingerprint led us to look elsewhere. However, one other thing we were doing was eliminating people according to their lack of availability to commit the crimes."

"Meaning?"

"Well, Your Honor, we're all students at a school with mandatory class attendance. If you don't show up to class, it's reported to the registrar, who keeps a record. What this meant for us was that we could know whether or not someone was in class during one of the crimes. We ruled out everyone who had been in class during the thefts, leaving us with a much smaller suspect base to draw from."

"What led you to Jim Gillenham, specifically?" the magistrate asked.

"My first suspicion was in January. The potion which was stolen from my potion kit was not one that was known to very many people, and in fact, Mr. Gillenham is the only person who has ever actually used that potion. For personal reasons, I discounted this notion for the time being. Then we had the theft in April. Up until then, the thief had followed certain patterns about what he took, and where he committed thefts. In March, I had discussed these things with Mr. Gillenham, just as a matter of chatting with my roommate. It took me some time, but I finally realized that the change in pattern had to be due to the fact that the thief knew we had noticed his patterns. The only person I could think of that would know that, was Mr. Gillenham. This, along with my earlier suspicions, added up to something I had to look into. After verifying my suspicion, I called Officer Garibaldi, and we caught Mr. Gillenham in the act."

"You say you verified your suspicion. How did you do that?" the magistrate asked.

"By means that aren't admissible in court, Your Honor, but that I still trusted to lead me in the right direction."

"Okay, you say it's not admissible in court, but you can still tell us what you did."

"I had my familiar ask Mr. Gillenham's familiar if he was, in fact, the thief. I further had my familiar ask her to inform us when the next theft was going to occur. When my familiar reported back, that was when I called Officer Garibaldi."

"Why would his familiar give you that information? Why did she not remain loyal to her wizard?" the magistrate asked.

"All I can tell you there, Your Honor, is what my familiar told me. Melissa is a mischievous, fun-loving little prankster, but, as Jailla, my familiar, reported it, she is not a thief, and she was annoyed with Mr. Gillenham for putting her in that position. She had actually left the hair and the fingerprint intentionally, in order to get caught."

"Objection, Your Honor," Jim said. "As Mr. Stroud pointed out, none of this is admissible in court."

"And it isn't being used as evidence against you, Mr. Gillenham. I asked merely to satisfy my curiosity. Mr. Stroud, the government has entered into evidence a recording you made of the defendant's movements prior to the final theft. How did you avoid being seen by Mr. Gillenham? Were you invisible at the time?"

"No, Your Honor. Officer Garibaldi enacted an ignorance charm over both of us, so that we could follow Mr. Gillenham without being noticed."

"I see. So, at no time during the events you have testified about, did you become invisible or insubstantial?"

"There was a brief moment, during the... December? Yes, December investigation where I became insubstantial, but I did not become invisible."

"Why was it necessary for you to become insubstantial?"

David explained the whole business with the ruler and the footprint to the court.

"I see, so you did it merely to avoid disturbing evidence."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well. Does the defendant have anything he wishes to ask this witness?"

David turned his eyes on Jim. The look he delivered was one of loathing.

Jim swallowed, and said, "No, Your Honor."

"Very well, then. Mr. Stroud, the court thanks you, and you are dismissed."

"Thank you, Your Honor," David replied. He rose from his chair, and walked back to his seat in the audience without bothering to look at Jim.

The trial continued for some further amount of time, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion. After all, Jim had been caught in the middle of a theft; he couldn't really dispute that fact.

"Jim Gillenham, rise before the court," the magistrate intoned. Jim rose to his feet, as did his court aide.

The magistrate said, "It is the judgment of this court that you are guilty of the crimes of unlawful entry, burglary, and thievery. Do you have anything to say for yourself before sentence is passed?"

"Other than I'm sorry, no, Your Honor."

"The court takes your apology at face value. It does not, however, mitigate the circumstances of your crime. You are hereby sentenced as follows: First, your wizarding license is revoked. You will turn over your wand and all magical artifacts either to a licensed wizard, or to the Rimohrs, during the time of your incarceration, which is to equal six months, served in the Bolmont City Jail. After your incarceration period, you are to be exiled from Dugerra, never to return as a free man. Do you understand the sentence that has been passed?"

"Yes, Your Honor. I do have one question."

"Proceed."

"What will happen to my familiar?"

"Your familiar's disposition is up to you and her. She may accept exile with you, or you may pass custody of her on to someone else here in Dugerra. Is there anything further?"

"No, Your Honor."

"Very well. The judgment is entered. This case is closed, and this court is adjourned."

As the gavel came down, two Rimohrs approached Jim. One of them enacted the handcuff hex, and they led him out of the courtroom. He couldn't look David in the eyes as he passed.

"Well, that's over," David said to Joe.

"I'm sorry you lost a friend," Joe said.

"Apparently, I lost this friend a long time ago. What I want to know is, why?"

"Yeah, the trial almost never talks about motive. Even I don't know why he did it."

"I will find out at some point," David assured him.

"I'm sure you will. Since you're in town, you want to come over and have dinner with us?"

"Sure."

"Good. Come on. Zyla's been asking how you've been doing. This way, she can bug you about it, instead of me."

David chuckled as he followed Joe out of the courthouse.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"All right, David. I will allow you to choose the weapon you wish to demonstrate first," Prof. Teller said.

"Staff," David told him. He pulled out his staff, enlarging it to its full length.

"Very well. You shall perform for us the Werecat Defense."

David nodded, and assumed the starting position of the form. The concept behind this particular form was that the warrior was faced with a feral werecat who was the warrior's friend, and so harming the cat was not allowed. It was one of the trickiest of the staff forms, because it required a great deal of body movement, in addition to mostly blocking moves with the staff.

"You may begin when you are ready," Prof. Teller said.

David took a deep breath and began his form. He twisted and turned, spinning his staff to parry imagined attacks by his invisible opponent. At one point, he planted the end of his staff on the floor and flipped, passing over what would be his attacker, and then sweeping his staff to take out the werecat's feet.

For two solid minutes, David went through the form, executing it perfectly. Finally he reached the end, his body crouched in the final posture of the form. He held that pose for several seconds, and then raised himself back to a standing position.

"Very good. Draw your sword, please."

David holstered his staff, and then pulled out his practice sword. Prof. Teller said, "For this, I want you to perform Gremlin Invasion."

David nodded again. The Gremlin Invasion form posited the idea that the warrior was faced with a number of gremlins, which were evil beasts, only two and a half feet tall, that loved nothing more than causing trouble. They stole possessions, and broke what they couldn't steal. Then they would try to sell your possessions back to you, or they would sell them off to someone else. The difficulty of this form was that most of the moves were aimed low to the ground.

"When you are ready," Prof. Teller said.

David took another deep breath, and began his moves. This form was a more recent addition to their repertoire, and David wasn't as comfortable with it. That, added to the difficulty of the form itself, meant that he wasn't nearly as smooth with this one as he had been the staff form. That said, he still performed all the moves correctly, and in the right order. By the time he had finished, the sweat was dripping off him, and he was breathing heavily.

"Very nicely done, David," Prof. Teller said. "Both forms done virtually flawlessly. Your Gremlin Invasion needs a little smoothing, but that will come with time. I realize you've only known the form for a month. Still, definitely A-level work."

"Thank you, Professor," David said with a bow. The professor nodded to David, and then David returned to the side of the gym, where everyone else was sitting, waiting for their turn. David grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off his head with, and then he sat down, trying to catch his breath, despite not actually needing to. David often found himself mimicking old human habits that he no longer had use for, and this was merely one of them. Once he had regained his composure, he merely sat and watched the other students perform their final exam.

-----

David was sitting with his friends at dinner when his mirror buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and waited for the image to form in the glass.

"Hello, Professor," David said, seeing Cat's face in the mirror. "What can I do for you?"

Cat smiled at him and said, "David, can you meet me on the terrace, near the entrance lift? There's someone I'd like you to meet."

"Sure. I'm on my way."

David put away his mirror and excused himself.

"Who do you think this is?" Jailla asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's a new boyfriend."

"Awfully fast, isn't it?" Jailla asked.

"Yes. But Cat's the kind of person that doesn't like being alone. Since I talked to her last week about us not being a permanent couple of any kind, I'm sure she's been looking quite hard for a replacement for Ben."

It didn't take David long to arrive at the spot where Cat was standing. Standing with her was a man about David's height. He looked fit, but not muscle-bound. Jailla flew off to a nearby tree as David stepped up to talk with the couple.

"Hey, Cat," David said. "What's up?"

"David, I wanted you to meet my new boyfriend, Paul Andros. Paul, this is my friend, David Stroud. David... kind of watches out for me. David, Paul is a member of the Bolmont Dragons, a professional baxayr player."

"Hey, Paul," David said, holding out his hand.

Paul looked at it for a long second before grabbing it and shaking vigorously.

"Hey, David, nice to meet ya," Paul said enthusiastically. "So, you're her guardian angel, eh? Well, no need for you to worry about it anymore. I'll take it from here." Turning to Cat, Paul said, "Baby, we've gotta get going, or we'll miss the game."

"Okay, Paul. I just wanted you two to meet."

"Paul," David said, taking the man gently by the arm, "let me talk to you for a minute." David led Paul far enough away that Cat would not hear them.

"What's on your mind, bud?" Paul asked.

"I just want us to be clear on something. If you can make Cat happy, then great. But if you hurt her... you will be dealing with me."

"Look, sport," Paul said, "the lady chose me, not you. Get over yourself. In short, butt out."

David looked at the man for a long moment. "Remember what I said, Paul." With that, David let him go. Paul walked back to Cat, took her by the arm, and led her over to the entrance lift. David watched until they were out of sight.

As David started to walk towards his dorm, Jailla flew over. "Well?" he asked.

"I don't think I like him," David said.

"Why not?"

"He seems a little possessive," David replied.

"And you're not?" Jailla asked with a chuckle.

"I'm not possessive. I may be over-protective, but I'm not possessive."

"Uh-huh," Jailla responded dubiously.

"Quiet, you," David said, sticking a pixie stick in his mouth.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Can I help you?" the officer asked, a dour look on his face.

David said, "Yes, I'm here to see one of the inmates."

"Name?"

"Uh, mine, or his?"

The officer finally smiled. "His."

"Jim Gillenham."

"And your name?"

"David Stroud."

"I'll have to ask you to surrender your wand and any other magical items you may be carrying."

David pulled out his wand and set it on the tray the officer had placed on the counter. He also removed his necklace, which contained his base potions. David thought carefully, but couldn't think of anything else he was carrying that qualified as a magic item.

The officer did a magical scan, which came up clean. He put David's tray in a locked cupboard, and then he stepped out from behind the counter.

"Follow me."

The officer led David down a hallway to a windowless room. In it were a few chairs and a table, but nothing else. It was about twice the size of the cell David had spent his time in.

"Wait here, and the prisoner will be brought to you."

David nodded, and the officer left. David walked around the room as he waited. He stuck a pixie stick in his mouth, trying to calm his nerves. David had his back to the door when it opened again. He turned as Jim was led into the room.

"This room is magically protected," the guard said. "Don't try anything stupid."

Jim nodded, and so did David. With that, the guard left them alone. He would wait outside the door until they were finished.

For the longest moment, there was silence in the room. David finished his pixie stick and stuck the stick in his pocket.

"Do you have any idea how badly I want to bust your face wide open right now?" David asked.

Jim flinched.

"After three years, this is what you do? I thought we were friends!" David shouted. "After all the crap I put up with for Sex Ed, and then you repay me this way? What the fuck did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing," Jim admitted.

"Then why the fuck would you try to frame me for all that shit you did? Hell, why did you do all that shit?"

"It was Sherry's idea," Jim said. "She said she liked some of that stuff, and if I stole it for her, I'd get a reward."

"And did you?"

"Well... you might not think so. But we had some amazing sex after each of the robberies."

David didn't bother to correct his terminology. "So, you stole from people to get laid."

"Uh... yeah, I guess."

"You realize how fucking pathetic that is, right?"

"Hey, I don't have a dozen girls throwing their naked bodies my way like some people, okay? I have to take what I can get!"

"Really? You think that sex is so goddamned important to life that you would royally fuck over the entire rest of your life to get it?"

"Well... I never really expected to get caught..."

"No, you expected me to get caught! Why did you try to blame me for it?"

"Hey, I never blamed you! I just..."

"Made it look like I was the only one who could have done it," David retorted.

"Yeah, well... that was Sherry's idea, too."

"What the fuck did I ever do to her? Or is she one of those assholes who hates me because I'm a demighost?"

"David... Sherry... is Rob Beckel's sister."

"What?"

"Padman is her step-dad's last name. He adopted her, but not Rob, so Rob has his original last name. But anyway, yeah, they're brother and sister."

"So, last summer, you really were running with a gang."

"Well... kind of, I guess. I mean, it's not like we did anything really bad..."

"Like stealing from people and blaming it on someone else..." David remarked sourly.

"Well..."

"So, when did you find out who she was?"

"Right after the summer break started."

"And you stuck around anyway."

"I was trying to get laid! I didn't figure anything bad would happen. I just figured I'd hang out with them, maybe tag along with whatever they were doing, and hope that she'd put out at some point. She finally did, but only after I'd actually joined in one of their crimes. She made it clear that the only way I was getting anything from her was to use what I knew to help the gang."

"And you didn't walk away because..."

"Because I'd just spent months trying to get into her pants! And once I'd succeeded, it was... well, David, she's really fucking good in bed."

"She'd better have been. It cost you your entire life."

"Well, I hardly knew that at the time."

"So, let me get this straight. You fucked yourself over, and tried to fuck me over, all for a girl, who was basically helping her brother get revenge on me, for something that happened two years ago."

"Uh... yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Look, David, I never really expected them to catch anyone! I knew you were smart enough to prove it wasn't you. I didn't think anyone, even you, would figure out it was me. I figured that, eventually, Sherry would grow bored and we'd move on to something else. I really never thought I'd wind up here."

"So, you thought it was just fine to take things that don't belong to you, as long as you didn't get caught? What kind of ethical code do you live by?"

"I would have thought you'd have figured that out by now," Jim said.

"I did. I just tried really hard to deny it to myself. I should have looked much harder at you in January."

Jim shrugged. "And I shouldn't have let Sherry talk me into changing the pattern. If I hadn't done that, you probably wouldn't have figured it out."

"Yeah, actually, we would have. I'm sure Melissa's next clue would have been a doozy."

Jim frowned at that. He said, "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"You want a favor from me? After all this shit?"

"It's not for me. I know you can't take her in, but could you find Melissa a good home? She doesn't want anything more to do with me than you do, so I can't take her back with me, but right now, she's stuck at the Animal Annex up at the school."

David nodded. "That, I'll do, because it's for her, not for you."

"Thanks. Oh, I know it doesn't make up for anything at all, but just so you know, I signed over all my stuff to you, so everything that's in the room is yours now."

"Am I supposed to say thank you?"

"No. Honestly, I just didn't want to give it to the Rimohrs."

"Uh-huh. Where's my potion?"

"What?"

"My Incorporeus potion. It's the only stolen item that wasn't recovered from Sherry's room."

"I used it. Not to commit one of the thefts. I actually used it to spy on a couple of girls."

"How? It doesn't make you invisible..."

"No, but it allowed me to hide most of myself inside a wall, so I could watch them without being noticed."

"Dangerous move. If it had worn off while you were in the wall, you'd have been a permanent ghost."

Jim shrugged. "It was still fun."

"I really don't understand you," David admitted after a moment. "Is everything in life a joke to you? Is it really so simple to you as whatever benefits you directly the most is what you do?"

"Everyone does that," Jim replied.

"Okay, let me rephrase. Whatever benefits you materially the most."

Jim frowned, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'm not one for delayed gratification."

"Or self-sacrifice. Or thinking of others."

"What have those things gotten you?" Jim asked, somewhat derisively.

"Self-respect and the ability to look at myself in the mirror in the morning," David replied firmly.

Jim had no answer to that.

"I would say I'll see you later, but that seems rather unlikely," David said to him. "Have a good techno life, Jim."

"I'll try. And David... I'm sorry."

David looked at him for a long moment. "You're only sorry you got caught." With that, David left the room.

As David walked down the hallway, a man stepped out of another visitation room. The man was Rob Beckel. He was most likely visiting his sister, who had been convicted of conspiracy and inciting criminal activity.

"Hey, Fucker," Beckel said when he saw David. "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?"

"This was your idea of payback, Beckel? Clearly you haven't gotten any smarter."

Just then, an officer came out, leading Sherry.

"Nearly got you put in jail," Beckel said.

"No you didn't. I was never a serious suspect. All you did was cost me one of my best friends. You and that tramp sister of yours."

"You're just jealous," Sherry said. "You wanted to do me all year long, and I screwed him instead."

David stepped close to her, and looked straight into her eyes. "I'd rather fuck a lamia."

Sherry's eyes hardened, but the officer pulled her away, to head back to her cell.

"Things ain't over between us, Stroud," Beckel said.

"You planning to be a coward about it again, Beckel?" David asked, "Or are you going to actually come at me yourself?"

Beckel snarled, and stormed off. David sighed audibly, stuck a pixie stick in his mouth, and went to reclaim his personal effects.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David arrived at the stadium early enough to get a fourth-row seat. He'd come alone, since he had no girlfriend, and neither Flo nor Ellie was into this kind of thing.

It didn't take too long before the house lights dimmed, and the stage lights came up. The orchestra filed onto the stage, taking their seats in an orderly and dignified manner. The reason he had come to hear them play was that Olissa was in the orchestra. She was the last one on the stage, and she moved to the side, where her crystal melodium was located. She wore a flowing ivory-colored gown that was very flattering on her. She didn't step inside her instrument just yet, but waited patiently for their conductor.

Prof. Johnston walked onto the stage to polite applause from the audience. She bowed slightly, and then took her place on the conductor's platform. She turned and nodded to Olissa, who nodded in return, and then stepped into her melodium.

Prof. Johnston raised her wand, and the orchestra prepared to play. After a four-count, the music began.

David had to admit that the orchestra was of middling quality. They were acceptable, without any obvious flaws, but the music showed minimal real feeling from the musicians. For most of the music, Olissa played a background role, providing a quiet, harmonious backdrop to the louder orchestra.

All this changed about three-quarters the way through the performance. At that point, the melodium was shifted toward center stage. When Olissa moved back inside of it, Prof. Johnston merely waited for her to begin, baton raised.

When Olissa began her song, the crystal melodium's music filled the stadium. The orchestra faded away to insignificance in the background. As David well knew, Olissa played the melodium instinctively, and her music reflected that. She led the orchestra through the entire piece, her body turning and her arms rising and falling as she played the instrument. As the music reached a crescendo, her movements grew more rapid, and the water within the melodium splashed somewhat as she twisted this way and that, making the crystal sing its beautiful song.

Finally, the song reached its pinnacle, the entire orchestra joining in to create a wondrous conclusion to a beautiful opus. When the music ended, the audience erupted in applause.

There were two more songs for Olissa, both of them as grandiose and exquisite as the first. When she reached the end of her third piece, she stepped out of the melodium to a standing ovation. She took an embarrassed bow, then turned to Prof. Johnston, who stepped down off her platform, came over to Olissa, and took her hand. Together, the two of them bowed to the audience, which continued to applaud. After that, Prof. Johnston had the entire orchestra rise and bow. Finally, she ushered the orchestra off stage.

The house lights came up at that point, and most people made their way out of the stadium. David hung around. He wanted to congratulate Olissa.

When Olissa came out from backstage, David was waiting at the edge of the stage. He applauded quietly for her, and then hopped up on stage with her. David saw her boyfriend, Elean, approaching from the other end of the stage.

David handed Olissa the rose he'd brought for her. She smiled and thanked him for it. Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Elean arrived at that point.

"You did good," he told her. David raised an eyebrow; it was faint praise, from a boyfriend. Elean seemed more interested in the instrument than in Olissa. He stepped inside briefly, before he jumped right back out.

"Argh! I'm soaked! How do you keep from getting drenched?"

David smiled and said, "It helps if you're wearing a magically enchanted dress." David had bought the dress for her, over her objection, because he'd wanted her to look as pretty as her music sounded.

Elean grumbled. "C'mon, Olissa. I'll take you down to town to celebrate."

Olissa smiled at him, but she turned to David. "Thank you for coming. And for the rose."

"Wouldn't have missed it. You were the star of the show."

She touched his arm, and then turned to accompany her boyfriend out of the stadium. David watched them go, then headed out himself. Jailla swooped down from the high perch he'd found to sit on.

"She really plays that wonderfully," Jailla said.

"Yeah," David agreed.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"So, are you ready for the final?" Jess asked David. They had just left their Government Operations class, and were walking down the stairs from the castle together.

"I think so. This class is pretty straightforward. You just have to make sure you remember your facts, because Prof. Burke is going to ask for all of them."

Jess chuckled. "Ain't that the truth!"

David looked in front of, and then behind, them, to see that no one else was in earshot. Once he was sure of that, he said, "Hey, Jess... you're a part of the school's gay and bi community, right?"

"You know I'm a lesbian, David..."

"No, I mean you... well, socialize, with the other gay and bi people?"

"Oh. Well, somewhat. I mean, it's not like we've formed a club or anything, but we do tend to know who we are. Why?"

"I was wondering if you could help me," David said, and then explained what it was he was looking for.

Jess bit her lip, then said, "Well, I can't make any promises, but I'll ask around. This would be a one-time deal?"

"Probably."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do for you."

"Thanks. Let me know as soon as you can, alright?"

"Sure."

They had reached the bottom of the stairway by that point, and they split off to go to their respective destinations.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David was sitting on a bench outside, enjoying the warm afternoon. Jailla was off flying with another bird. David was sucking on a pixie stick, trying to relax. He'd just finished up his last Advanced Divination class before their final exam, and he was a bit worried about it. Normally he would be in Sword and Staff, but Prof. Teller was giving them the week off, to rest, recover, and prepare for their weapons-carry exam the following week.

Suddenly, someone thumped down onto the bench beside David. He turned to see Olissa looking at him, a bit of passion in her eyes.

"Master," she said, her voice quiet but earnest, "why don't you take me back to your room and make me have sex with you all night long?"

"Hmm," David said with a smile. "Sounds like fun, but aren't you attached?"

Olissa leaned forward and kissed him, her tongue sliding into his mouth. David didn't resist in the slightest, his hand sliding along her side as they kissed.

"Get your hands off my girl!" a voice said. As they broke their kiss, the voice continued, "How dare you mess around with a girl who's already in a relationship! Prepare to defend yourself!"

The voice belonged to Elean, and Olissa looked at David with a bit of trepidation.

"You set this up, didn't you?" David asked. Olissa bit her lip in response. "Okay, then," David said. He leaned back, and then pulled out his wand.

Turning away from Olissa, he planted his left hand on the back of the bench and vaulted over it, his wand already pointing at his aggressor.

"Let's do this!" David said, aggressively.

Elean, seeing who he was facing, raised both of his hands so quickly that his wand went flying behind him. "Aah!" he cried. "Uh... hey, look, um... I didn't mean..."

"No, no," David said. "You told me to defend myself. Now, maybe you're not aware, but Olissa belongs to me... so, I'll give you a chance to go pick up your wand, then we can do this thing right. Go on, get your wand."

Elean backed up until his wand was in front of him. He was shaking as he bent down to get it. When he stood up, he was confronted with David, not five feet in front of him.

"Boo!" David shouted.

Elean screamed and went running off. David chuckled at him, and then put away his wand. He shook his head as he turned around and went back to the bench where Olissa was sitting.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just couldn't think of any other way to get him to leave me alone. I'd already tried to tell him we should see other people, but he wasn't hearing any of it."

"Hmm," David said. "I think you just like seeing me scare your boyfriends."

Olissa giggled and turned her eyes downward.

"So," David said, "Did my slave really want me to make her fuck me all night long? I do have a room to myself..."

When Olissa looked back into his eyes, the hint of lust that had been there before was full-blown.

They made it back to David's dorm room in record time.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Your practical exam is not about power, please understand that. I am looking for your ability to control it. If you have control, you can always obtain power... but your power will also always be limited to the electricity available to you. If, for instance, you happen to be standing next to an Earth nuclear power plant, you could probably destroy a small city with this ability. I tell you this not to give you ideas, but to point out just how dangerous this can be.

"Now then, you may begin your written exam. I will call each of you to the front at random for your practical exam. Starting with Keith Whitley."

David could see Keith's nervousness as he walked to the front. He smiled slightly, and then turned his attention to his own exam. Because the topic of the semester was so narrow, the exam was quite in-depth, and David had to really concentrate to come up with the answers that Prof. Rutherford was seeking.

David had finished his exam, and was going over it to check for errors, when she finally called his name. David was the last one to be called. He took his exam up with him, and set it on her desk.

"Finished?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Then when we're done here, you can go. Do you plan to continue on with elemandy, David?"

"I haven't decided yet. Do you think I should?"

"Well, without knowing what else you'll be pursuing, all I can say is that I think it would be worth your time. You aren't the strongest elemander in my classes, by any means, but you have fabulous control, which is almost better. You can do more, with less, than some of the more powerful students. Anyway, it's something for you to think about. I would be willing to act as your faculty advisor, if you do pursue it."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome. Now, let's get on with the demonstration, shall we? Start with a ball of lightning, if you will."

David concentrated, and slowly brought together not one, but two balls of lightning, one in each hand. He then began to juggle them. This was made possible because he was controlling the balls with his mind. He couldn't juggle at all. After a few rounds of juggling, he tossed the balls up, and then let them spiral down around each other, until they each came to rest in a hand.

"Now, dissipate them," Prof. Rutherford said. This was more difficult than the way they had initially gotten rid of them, which was by grounding them to something. Instead, he had to focus his mind and release the electric energy into the atmosphere at a gradual rate, so that it wouldn't cause any damage. Slowly, the electric balls dissolved into nothingness.

"Now, a sheet of electricity, if you would, riding along the metal plate."

This was an easy task for David, and he performed it easily, the sheet of glowing plasma flowing over the metal, rippling here and there, and the energy crackled.

"Very good. You may end it."

Instantly, the sheet disappeared, grounded into the plate.

"Now, bolt lightning, in whatever safe form you choose."

David had thought about this, and so he started by putting his hands together, as if praying. After a second, he slowly pulled his hands apart, a bright, dancing line of electricity connecting them. The bolt was dazzling, and hard to look at, it was so bright. Once his hands were about a foot and a half apart, David raised his hands until his elbows were at a right angle. Suddenly, the lightning bolt dropped from his hands to his elbows. It was somewhat dimmer now, and it got dimmer still as it moved from his elbows up toward his hands, turning his forearms into a Jacob's ladder, which repeated over and over, brighter at the bottom, dimmer at the top.

"Very nice," Prof. Rutherford said, impressed. "Now, dissipate it."

David let the energy return to his hands before he dropped them back to level, and the bolt of energy grew in intensity again. He slowly moved his hands closer together, and every hair on his body stood on end as the electricity passed over him and escaped into the environment.

Once the bolt was gone, he dropped his hands.

"Definitely an A," Prof. Rutherford said. "Well done."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You earned it, David. Whatever you decide to do, good luck. I'm sure you'll succeed, whatever you choose to tackle next."

David nodded, then he turned and left the room. A pixie stick soon found its way into his mouth. It wasn't his only final exam for the day.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Good afternoon, David," Prof. Zoroaster said. "Come on in."

"Good afternoon, Professor. Oh, hello, Prof. Dartson. I didn't realize you were part of the testing today."

"For some students," he confirmed. "Please, have a seat."

David sat down in front of the usual table.

"Do you have your crystal ball with you?" Prof. Zoroaster asked.

"Yes, sir." David concentrated, and the ball appeared on the table in front of them all.

"Good. We're going to test you on blockbusting magic today. As a crystallomancer, yours is the skill most impacted by anti-divination magic, and so we want to make sure that you have a good, solid grasp of how to break through that blockage.

"Prof. Dartson and I have each enacted privacy blocks on a friend of yours. Your job will be to perform a divination on each person, and tell us what you see."

"Um... have these friends agreed to this?"

"Yes, but you get points for asking that question," Prof. Dartson said. "It's important that you always consider that issue when you begin to divine personal information."

David nodded. Prof. Zoroaster said, "First, you will divine my chosen subject, Gwen Hasterscant."

"Anything in particular I'm supposed to try to see?"

"No. If you can see anything at all, that will be good enough."

David nodded again, and then he focused his attention on the crystal ball. The green haze appeared before him, and he saw the weird symbols that he'd come to recognize as someone blocking his attempt. He took a deep breath, deepened his concentration, and uttered the first of several blockbuster spells that he remembered. The first didn't work. The second one, however, got him a fuzzy look at what Gwen was doing.

David continued to watch as he narrated what he saw. "Gwen is... not at the school. She's in what looks like a workshop. She seems comfortable, so I think it's either her workshop, or she works in it a lot. She is putting together something small... about the size of my little finger. I can't tell for sure what it is. She's humming to herself, and she appears to be enjoying herself."

David pulled out of the vision, and looked up at his instructors, both of whom were quite impressed with his work.

"That was a very good reading. How clear was the image?"

"Fuzzy, but good enough to tell what was going on, obviously. If I had to guess, I'd say what I saw was eight or nine months away."

"Good. Very good," Prof. Zoroaster said, making some notes on a parchment.

"Now," Prof. Dartson said, "You will view my subject. I chose Eleanor Hasterscant. Be forewarned, I'm a better impediveur than Prof. Zoroaster is."

David grinned slightly. "She prefers to be called Ellie, by the way."

David leaned forward again, invoking the haze and concentrating. Every time he tried to view Ellie's future, however, he ended up seeing something about Anne, or Gwen, or even Nick Hasterscant once.

Ah. It's not blocking me. It's redirecting me, David thought to himself. He concentrated, focusing all his energy. He used his strongest blockbuster spell, and soon enough, he was viewing Ellie. The image was very grainy; more so than it should have been, because David recognized the event as only a year away. It was Ellie's graduation ceremony.

"I see Ellie's graduation. She's received her license. Now the image is shifting... Okay, it's not the anti-divination stuff, it's a time shift in the vision... It's after the ceremony. Gwen, Anne, and I are all there to congratulate Ellie... Anne is their sister... but I don't see their parents anywhere. There is a certain... sadness, or upset, among all four of us. For some reason, Mr. and Mrs. Hasterscant have not attended the graduation."

"Do you know why?"

"I think I know why without the divination, but no, I cannot divine the reason they're not there."

"Very well, then," Prof. Dartson said. "You may stop."

David pulled out of the vision. He was a bit fatigued; he hadn't had to strain that hard in a long while.

"I'm surprised, once again, that you got past my block," Prof. Dartson admitted. "Prof. Zoroaster was right in his assessment of you. You are one of our strongest students... and the strongest one who plans on staying past his fourth year. We did get the right information? You are staying for next year?"

"Yes, sir." Students had to file a notice of intent to continue their schooling after each year, except their first.

"In which case, we'd like to give you this," Prof. Zoroaster said, handing a certificate over to David.

David took it and read it quickly. It was an official approval for directed study by the Divination Department. David looked up at the two professors.

"Normally, you would have to announce your intent for directed study, then discuss it with us, and we'd talk it over, and then sign that certificate... But in this case, we want you to know that, if you want to continue with Divination, you are more than welcome. We will understand if you want to focus on something else, but I'll admit, we'll be a little disappointed if we don't see you next year."

"Thank you... both of you. I haven't yet figured out my plans, but I will certainly be giving it a lot of thought."

"Good. You passed, by the way, as if you didn't already know that."

David grinned. He shook both professors' hands, and left the room, staring at the certificate and trying to figure out exactly what he did want to do the following year.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Professor, would you mind if I handle this one alone?" David asked.

Prof. Blackstone asked, "Why?"

"She's a close friend. I'd like to be the one that tells her."

The professor nodded. "Okay. She's the last student, anyway. As part of your apprenticeship next year, I have already signed you up as my teaching assistant again."

"Yes, sir."

"Have a good summer, and I'll see you in three months."

David shook the professor's hand, and then followed him out into the main room.

David called out, "Olissa Volaire." He waited as she walked up to the front of the room. His poker face served him well at the moment, as his look was completely blank as he ushered her into the side room.

Olissa stood, facing David as he closed the door. He turned and looked at her.

"Do you know what I'm going to say?" David asked. It was the same question that Prof. Blackstone had asked everyone.

"I'm not sure," Olissa admitted. "My grades are okay, but the results I've been getting haven't exactly been promising."

David nodded. "And that's the rub, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but you won't be invited to continue on in Conjuring."

Olissa frowned, and bowed her head. David moved close, and put his hands on her arms, rubbing gently in encouragement.

"It's not the end of the world," David said, not wanting her to cry over it. "Not everyone is a good conjurer."

Olissa nodded. She looked up at him as she wiped her eyes. "Why didn't Prof. Blackstone tell me, like everyone else?"

"I thought it might sting less if it came from me," David said sincerely, "so I asked him if I could tell you myself."

Olissa sniffed, and nodded. David pulled her to him, and she embraced him tightly, crying gently.

"I know you worked hard on this class," David said. "It's not your fault that you didn't succeed. This skill is just... not one you can master."

"I know," Olissa said, pulling away from him. "I've known for a while, I guess. I just don't like failing. Plus, you spent a lot of time helping me, and all that was wasted."

"I have never wasted a minute spending time with you," David assured her. She smiled slightly, and then he kissed her. She kissed him back strongly, but then let him go.

"Did you try to cheer up all the girls this way?" she asked, teasing him.

"Only the really cute ones," David said with a wink. Olissa blushed. "Do you have any more classes?"

"No."

"Well, go back to your room and take it easy for the rest of the day. I've got to get to GovOps."

"Okay. David? Thanks for telling me yourself."

David kissed her again, then he led her out of the room, and he hurried off to his final class of the year.

-----

"David!"

David turned to see Jess hurrying down the stairway from the castle to the Academy level after him. They had just left their final Government Operations class for the year. He stopped to wait for her.

"Hey," she said when she reached him. "You and I have been too busy for me to connect with you this week. I did find what you're looking for. Her name is Patrice. I asked her to drop by your room tomorrow at three o'clock, so you could talk to her. Is that good?"

"I'll make it work," David said. "Thanks, Jess."

"No problem. Good luck."

-----

When David entered Byron Hall, there was a buzz among the tables. He had no idea what it was about, but his friends were sitting in their usual spot, so he figured he'd find out soon enough.

"Hey, guys," David said, sitting down. He didn't ask any questions until he had ordered his food. Once the pixie was gone, he said, "So, what's all the hubbub about?"

"You didn't hear?" Simon asked.

"Obviously not..." David replied, hoping to elicit more information.

"The news was posted a little while ago. The king received a notice of sovereignty from Vrudena. Alpha Gadevok is dead."

"Holy crap," David said. "Who's the new alpha?"

"His name is Alpha Hurovlad. No one knows anything about him. He wasn't, as far as I know, part of the Vrudenan government before now."

"Great. So they have some newbie on the throne?" David asked, concerned.

"Looks that way," Gwen replied.

"That's not unusual for Vrudena," Simon said reassuringly. "Their system of succession often leads to someone completely new on the throne. They seek strength in their leader, and a lot of times the government people have become too weak to compete."

"Uh-huh," David said. "But does he believe in any of the things Alpha Gadevok talked about when he was here last year?"

"No one knows," Gwen told him.

"Just peachy. And did he get the year or two of training that he was supposed to, before Alpha Gadevok died?"

"No one knows that, either," Simon admitted.

"Great." David dug into his dinner with gusto.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David heard the knock on the door, and he waved the door open from where he was at the table. Ellie came in, as he had expected, and she closed the door behind herself.

"Hey," she said, walking over to him and giving him a deep kiss. He kissed her back strongly for a long moment, then broke their lip lock, but still held on to her.

"So, it's time for your last lesson of the school year," David told her lightly.

"Hmm. Sounds like fun," she told him with a grin.

"It... might not be," David admitted. Ellie frowned worriedly, but didn't say anything. "Our last new lesson made you uncomfortable physically," David said.

Ellie interjected, "And I got over that quick." They had shared anal sex several times since Valentine's Day.

"And how," David agreed, smiling at her. "But today's lesson might make you uncomfortable emotionally. Just remember, you promised to try anything I would present to you."

"I know. You're making me nervous," she told him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just reminding you... and stalling. Anyway, the point is, while I will be present today, I'm not going to be your sex partner."

"Um... Then, who is?" she asked, her nerves really showing now.

David walked her over to the door of his bedroom, which was closed. He opened it, to reveal a pretty young woman with dark brown hair and green eyes. She had a fairly nice body, and was roughly Ellie's height. Her breasts weren't quite as large as Ellie's, but they were still a good handful.

"She is," David said.

Ellie took a moment to absorb this, then said, "What?"

David put his hand along Ellie's lower back, to keep her from backing away or running from the situation. He kept his voice low and even, while Patrice merely stood still, with a slight smile on her face. David had already noted the flick of her eyes as she evaluated Ellie's body.

"Well, we know you like guys. But we need to find out if you have any affinity for girls. In order to figure that out, you actually have to try it, to push past the automatic reaction you just had to the idea."

"Oh. But... um... who is she?"

"She's a friend of a friend."

"I don't know about this, David..."

"Would you feel better if I remained in the room?"

Ellie thought for a second, then nodded.

"Is that okay with you?" David asked Patrice. This question had already been discussed, but David wanted to make absolutely sure.

"It wouldn't be the first time. But, and I know I already said this to you earlier, but no touching. I have no interest in guys at all."

"I won't be joining in," David said. "If I touch you, it will be to stop you from doing whatever it is you're doing to her."

"Okay."

David turned to Ellie, gave her a kiss, and then turned her toward Patrice. He moved over into a corner and did his best to be inconspicuous, while still remaining visible, so that Ellie would have that visual touchstone for her security.

Patrice made the first move, as she knew she had to. "You're very pretty," she said to Ellie. Her voice was quiet, calming, with a note of encouragement.

"You, too," Ellie said. She was clearly very nervous about the situation.

"Thank you," she said. She moved close to Ellie, and asked, "Do you want to undress first, or do you want to start out with just some kissing?"

"Uh... maybe just kissing first? I don't know..."

"I understand. Believe it or not, I was just like you my first time," Patrice said. "I was at summer camp, and this other girl in my sleeping quarters offered to show me what it was like. If you enjoy it, it doesn't mean you're gay, I promise. I know lots of girls who like both." Patrice gently took Ellie's hand and pulled her over to the bed. They sat down together, facing each other.

Patrice leaned in slowly. At first, Ellie leaned back, but then, screwing up her courage, she moved forward, until she was only a couple inches from Patrice's face. Patrice leaned in the last bit, and their lips touched. The kiss was gentle at first, a mere brush of the lips. Their second kiss was firmer, and their third was yet more heated. Patrice slid closer to Ellie, and slipped her hand around to the back of Ellie's neck, holding her in place. Patrice slid her tongue out and probed Ellie's lips. Slowly, Ellie gave in and opened her mouth, admitting the soft, wet intruder. Patrice's tongue slid slowly and sensuously across Ellie's tongue, encouraging it to come out and play. Eventually, Ellie complied, slipping her tongue into Patrice's mouth, so that they could continue their dance.

As the kissing continued, Patrice moved her hand down off Ellie's neck. She slid it over Ellie's shoulder and down her arm. Taking Ellie's hand in hers, Patrice placed Ellie's hand on her breast. She held it in place until Ellie got the idea and softly squeezed Patrice's tit. Patrice moaned in encouragement, and then let her hand slide back up Ellie's arm.

The pair continued to kiss as Patrice moved her hand along Ellie's side, slipping down until she could cup Ellie's tit. Ellie gasped as Patrice's hand fondled her breast, molding it with her fingers.

For the longest time, the two stayed like that, their hands, lips, and tongues moving, but little else. Finally, Patrice pulled Ellie down onto the bed, where they continued to kiss, but Patrice slid her hand back and forth, caressing and toying with both of Ellie's tits as they continued to kiss. Once she was sure that Ellie wouldn't object, Patrice began to unfasten Ellie's blouse, exposing her bare skin.

Slowly, Patrice removed Ellie's blouse. She ran her hand over the bare skin, and over her breasts, now only covered by a bra. Taking a chance, she slipped her hand into the top of Ellie's bra, caressing the flesh of her tit directly, running her fingers over the nipple. Ellie gasped in surprise and pleasure, but did not break their kiss. Patrice pressed her hand downward, and then pulled the bra out and up, letting Ellie's breasts pop free of their confines. Her hand, now able to access the skin directly, softly slid back and forth across Ellie's chest, playing with her nipples and massaging her breasts.

At long last, Patrice broke their kiss. Ellie was a bit breathless from the kissing. As she realized that her breasts were exposed to Patrice's gaze, she blushed, but she didn't bother covering herself.

"You've got very nice breasts," Patrice told her. "And though yours are better than mine, I guess it's only fair if I show them to you." With that, Patrice removed her T-shirt, and then reached back and unfastened her bra, tossing it to the floor. Her tits bounced free, topped with tight, dark areolas and nipples that stood proudly.

"You're beautiful," Ellie said to Patrice. She squirmed around and reached back to unfasten her own bra, tossing it on the floor.

"Should we just get rid of the rest of our clothes now, or you want to kiss some more?" Patrice asked with a smile.

"Um..." Ellie said, hesitating, then said, "both?"

Patrice giggled, and unfastened her pants. She pushed them down her legs and off, and then did the same with her underwear. Meanwhile, Ellie was struggling to get her jeans off her legs. Patrice helped her once she'd finished with her own clothes, and then she slowly peeled Ellie's panties down off her legs. Now the two girls were completely nude.

Patrice lay back down on the bed, and the two girls were quickly kissing once again. Patrice returned her hand to Ellie's breast. Ellie moaned in pleasure, but her position was a bit awkward for her to reciprocate. Patrice didn't pay much attention as she let her own hand slide down across Ellie's stomach. As her fingertip stopped overtop of Ellie's erect clit and began to rub, Ellie broke their kiss.

"Holy shit!" she cried out. Patrice didn't return to kissing her, but instead focused her attention on Ellie's clit, rubbing it furiously. She moved down and started to suck Ellie's nipple while her finger worked its magic.

Ellie's hand went to the back of Patrice's head, holding her firmly to her breast. Her body was heating up rapidly from Patrice's ministrations, and she could feel that an orgasm wasn't too far off. When it hit, Ellie cried out and her body froze, rippling in little shivers as her climax swept over her body.

Patrice let loose of Ellie, so that she could calm down from her orgasm, but she didn't move away. Instead, she pulled Ellie further onto the bed, and then slipped between her legs. By the time Patrice had managed that, Ellie had calmed from her orgasm, and so Patrice bent her head down to begin to lick at Ellie's pussy lips.

Ellie moaned in pleasure as Patrice's tongue worked her over. Patrice licked this way and that for a long few minutes, until she slipped her middle finger deep into Ellie's pussy, finger-fucking her with deep, slow motions. She moved her mouth up and began to lick and suck on Ellie's clit. Ellie was quickly heating up as Patrice expertly worked her over. Ellie could not keep her hips still, and Patrice had to use her free hand to hold Ellie in place as she continued to suck on her clit.

Finally, Ellie let out a long, "Oh!" and came. Her body shuddered as she let the climax wash over her, filling her with pleasure.

As soon as Ellie's orgasm started, Patrice pulled her finger out, and moved away, just in case Ellie was too tender to continue immediately. It took a long moment before Ellie was coherent enough to do much of anything.

When Patrice saw that Ellie was ready, she said, "Now, are you ready to do me?"

"I'm not sure... I'm not sure that I even know what to do," Ellie admitted.

"You know what I just did to you?"

"Yeah..."

"That's a good place to start," Patrice said with a smile. She moved over Ellie, straddling her shoulders, which lowered her pussy right down to Ellie's mouth. "Just lick me like you'd want to be licked, and I know I'll enjoy it."

Ellie stared for a long moment at the pussy in front of her eyes.

"Come on, now..." Patrice said encouragingly. "It's not hard."

Slowly, Ellie's tongue slipped out of her mouth, and then ran lightly over Patrice's pussy lips.

"Ooh, I like that," Patrice said reassuringly. "A little harder, though, would be better."

Ellie complied, pressing her tongue more firmly against Patrice's pussy. Patrice moaned in pleasure. Figuring she was doing something right, Ellie continued to slip her tongue this way and that across Patrice's cunt lips.

"My clit. Suck on my clit," Patrice said, her voice a little hoarse.

Ellie moved her mouth up, finding Patrice's clit and pulling it into her mouth. She sucked hard on it, and flicked the tip of her tongue across it, as well.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" Patrice cried out. "So good. Keep doing that!"

Ellie did as she was told. Remembering that Patrice had also used her finger, Ellie took her index finger and slid it into Patrice's pussy, sliding it in and out at a good pace.

In no time at all, Patrice was crying out as she came, her hips rocking against Ellie's face as her juices poured over Ellie's chin.

Ellie couldn't do much more than wait for Patrice to be finished. When she settled, Patrice looked down and said, "I don't know if you enjoyed doing that, but you're sure as hell good at it!"

Ellie smiled up at her, wondering what came next.

"I want more of that," Patrice said, "but let's do sixty-nine."

Ellie knew what that was, since she had done it several times with David. She waited as Patrice turned herself around, and then lowered her pussy back down to Ellie's face. Patrice then bent over, and as Ellie started to lick Patrice's cunt once again, she felt Patrice's tongue on her own pussy. Both girls moaned in pleasure.

The two girls each worked their tongues, lips, and fingers against the other. Ellie tried to mimic Patrice's moves, to give her as good as she was getting. Ellie, however, was more sensitive, and her body started to heat up more rapidly than Patrice. In short order, Ellie was right on the verge of her climax. When Patrice flicked her tongue repeatedly along the side of her clit, Ellie went over the edge, crying out as she came.

Patrice moved off of Ellie during her orgasm. She knew that Ellie was ready for something new. "Time for a bit of bump and grind," she said to Ellie.

"Hmm?" Ellie asked, feeling wonderful, but not sure what Patrice was talking about.

Patrice had Ellie raise up on her arms and bend one leg so there was a space beneath her knee, and then she slid her body into place, her pussy pressing tightly against Ellie's, her one leg under Ellie's knee, her other leg over Ellie's opposite leg, her body mostly facing downward.

"Now, we roll our hips, like this," Patrice said, and she began to circle her hips, rubbing her pussy and clit firmly against Ellie's cunt.

"Oh, fuck," Ellie opined.

"Come on, join in," Patrice encouraged.

Ellie tried to copy Patrice's movements, and it felt even more incredible as their pussies slipped wetly against each other. Ellie's clit got stimulated on each gyration, and she felt her body building to a massive orgasm. Patrice, likewise, was beginning to pant hard and fast.

The two women continued to work themselves up, their arousal rising to a fever pitch. Patrice came first, her body jolting and bucking against Ellie as she screamed out her pleasure. The forcefulness of her movements, however, pushed Ellie right over the edge, and she cried out as well, her body shuddering uncontrollably as her orgasm took hold.

It was a long minute before they came down from their highs, and Patrice collapsed on the bed. Ellie slowly sank down, fully sated and completely unable to move.

David, knowing they were finished, finally came out of the corner. He picked up Patrice's clothes, piling them neatly on a chair. He saw that Patrice was trying to move, but was having difficulty untangling herself. He went over and offered her a hand.

"Thanks," she said quietly. He kept her hand as she stood, which was useful, as she was quite wobbly on her feet.

"You want to shower while you're here?" David asked.

"Just a quick one, if you don't mind," Patrice said.

"Take all the time you want," he said, ushering her out of the bedroom. "And thank you for your help."

"She just really wanted to know what it was like to have sex with a girl?"

"Something like that, yeah. She's learning all aspects of sex. This is one of them."

"I guess. Anyway, if she wants to do it again, she can give me a call."

David smiled at her, and then let her go into the bathroom to shower. He returned to Ellie, who was still fairly motionless on the bed.

"Enjoy yourself?" David asked.

"Hell, yes!" she enthused. "I never thought I'd like that kind of thing, but she sure knew how to push all my buttons."

"Better than me?" David asked.

"No, not quite. That last thing came close, though."

David chuckled. "Take a nap. You can shower after she leaves."

"'kay," she said. She turned on her side, and closed her eyes. David took an extra blanket and threw it over her, so she wouldn't get cold. He went out to the main room and stared out the window.

"Did it go well?" Jailla asked.

"I'm sure you heard, since we didn't even close the door," David replied.

"Yes."

"Just one problem," David said.

"What's that?"

"Now I'm horny enough to be the brass section of the orchestra, and my only potential partner is worn out and asleep!"

Jailla chuckled at that.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Are you ready for your exam?" Jailla asked David. They were walking across the terrace. This test was also being held in the cafeteria. It was after lunch, however, so it did not interfere with the third-years who had taken their travel endorsement exam earlier in the day.

"Can you ever be ready for something like this?" David asked.

"Perhaps not. Good luck," Jailla said, then winged off for some exercise while David took his exam. Familiars were not allowed into the testing area, as it would be unfair for them to help with the exam.

David met up with Olissa, Gwen, Jess, and Flo outside of the cafeteria. He gave Olissa a strong hug and a kiss, because she was clearly terrified. He gave Gwen and Flo hugs of encouragement, and smiled at Jess.

"Everyone ready?" David asked.

"No," they all said in unison. Then they all laughed; it was a tension reaction.

"We could all put it off till next year..." David suggested lightly.

"NO!" came the expected shout of objection.

"In that case, I guess we'd better go in. Where are Simon and Heath?"

"Already inside," Gwen said. "They couldn't bear standing out here waiting."

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was late."

"No problem."

The group all went inside, signed in with the lady at the desk, and got their table assignments. The process was exactly the same as for last year's travel exam, only they had an extra hour for completion, and the test was much longer and more detailed. David attacked the test in his usual fashion: he answered the questions he was sure of first, then he went back and looked over the ones that required a little thought, leaving the hardest ones for very last. Once he'd finished, he looked over his test for obvious mistakes. He could continue that process indefinitely, so he limited himself to just one thorough re-read. By the time he'd finished that, there was only a half-hour of test time left.

David rose from his cubicle, and turned in his test.

"When will we find out if we've passed?" David asked quietly.

"This is not the entire exam," the lady said. She handed him a piece of paper. "Check this tomorrow morning. There will be instructions on it as to where to go and what to do. If the instructions tell you to go to the registrar's office, then you did not pass the written exam."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Good luck," she said politely. With that, David left the cafeteria. A pixie stick was in his mouth seconds later.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

In the morning, David's first act was to look at the scrap of paper he'd been given. He'd tacked it up to his wall, so there was no chance of losing it. What he saw there caused a sigh of relief.

Written Exam Grade: 93 (A - excellent)

Instructions: You are to go to the entrance lift on the terrace. Ride down on the lift alone. As soon as you are below ground, utter the following phrase:

Eraya bango tesuto setrie

This will take you to the location for the completion of your citizenship exam. You should arrive no later than 10 a.m., Tuesday morning.

Good luck,
Elias Coolidge,
Testing Coordinator,
Callamandian Citizenship Board

What the hell? Our final test is inside Mt. Woodward? David had always known that there was a lot of hidden space inside the mountain, but to find out that he would now discover some more of it was hard to take, on this already stressful day. David chose to deal with that as he had been dealing with many things lately: he slipped a pixie stick in his mouth.

-----

"Eraya bango tesuto setrie," David said as soon as the lift left the daylight. The bubble around the lift shifted, a wave of light passing over it in acknowledgment of the command. The lift dropped further than the entrance to faculty housing, perhaps halfway to the bottom of the mountain, before it came to rest. Once it stopped, the bubble faded, and a section of the shaft wall melted away to the sides, exposing an opening to a tunnel. The tunnel was lit with torches, much like the faculty housing entrance. David hesitantly stepped into the tunnel. Once he'd stepped off the lift, the bubble returned, effectively sealing the tunnel entrance, to keep him from falling. Or, he realized, backing out.

Once David had cleared the entrance to the tunnel, the wall "grew" back into place from where it had melted away. This left David with only one direction in which to go, and so he turned forward and walked down the passageway, a pixie stick firmly clamped in his mouth.

At the end of the hallway was a large, white room. It was brightly lit by some means, though nothing was discernible. David figured the room must be enchanted to be a light source unto itself, as he couldn't even see any shadows. There was one other person there already, a girl that he knew only in passing. He didn't even know her name.

"Hey, David," she said. "You here to test me?"

"Uh... no? I'm here for my test."

"Oh. I guess we're going to be tested together, then."

"I suppose. You got any idea what this test is like?"

"Nope. Like our wizarding license, there's a Gag Order on this test."

"Joy. I'm sorry... what's your name?"

The girl giggled. "It's Joy."

David would have blushed crimson if he could. He rolled his eyes at himself, anyway.

The two sat down at the table, which was the only furniture in the room. It was a picnic-table style, much like those in the cafeteria, only it, too, was all white.

"You figure we're waiting for someone else?" David asked. "Or is this the test, to see how long it takes before we go stark raving mad?"

Joy giggled nervously. "It's not ten o'clock yet. Maybe the test won't start until then."

"Maybe."

A short time later, they both heard footsteps coming down the hallway. David looked up to see a guy coming into the room. Once again, it was someone David knew only as a face. David and Joy introduced themselves, and the guy told them his name was Ephrod.

"You're a Dugerran by birth, aren't you?" David asked.

Ephrod smiled. "How'd you guess?"

"Ephrod," David said, as if that explained everything. The guy chuckled.

As the three were discussing what the test might be like, a fourth person arrived. He introduced himself as Sean.

A few seconds after Sean had sat down at the table, the doorway out into the hall silently disappeared. David was the first to notice.

"I think our test just began." He motioned to the now non-existent doorway in explanation.

"Fuck," Sean opined. "So, what are we supposed to do, blast our way out of here?"

"Somehow, I doubt that would be effective," Ephrod said.

"So what, then, hot shot?" Sean asked.

"Guys, just cool it," Joy said. "Getting up in each other's face isn't going to help anything. I think we have to wait, yet. I'm sure we'll be told what we're supposed to do. It's not like them to not at least tell us what our goal is."

"She's right," David agreed.

As if on cue, a parchment appeared on the table. David was the closest, so he picked it up and read it out loud to the others.

"Your citizenship exam second phase has just begun. Your objective is to make your way to Beckett Hall. You have three hours. Your time starts as soon as this notice is finished being read."

As soon as David uttered the last word, a chime was heard, and a clock appeared in the middle of the room. It floated there, displaying their remaining time in calming green numbers.

"So, now what?" Sean asked. "I don't even see a door."

"Guys?" David asked. Everyone looked at him. "Before we get too involved in figuring out how to get out of here, maybe we should figure out what tools we have available."

"What do you mean?" Ephrod asked.

"We should figure out what we're all good at. For instance, I'm a potions master, and I'm apprenticing in Conjuring. I suck at metamorphosis. I'm good at Divination, and more or less average at everything else. Also, I've already been informed that using any of my demighost-specific skills is not allowed. What about you guys?"

Joy, it turned out, was an expert at elemandy, and she had some healing skills. Ephrod was a technomander. Sean was skilled with morphing and animperium.

"Okay, so now that we know what the toolbox looks like, we know what we have to work with. The first thing, I guess, is to figure out where the exit to this room is."

"Maybe that's the trick. Maybe there isn't one," Ephrod offered.

David shook his head. "There's got to be one. If there wasn't, it would mean they were depending on us either destroying the room itself, or suddenly learning how to teleport. Neither of those seems too likely to me."

The four looked around the room for a long moment, trying to find something. It wasn't until Sean looked under the table that anyone found anything.

"Hey, look here! There seems to be some kind of hatch under the table."

The four of them slid the table off to one side. Sure enough, the section of the floor seemed to be the only cracks in this rather solid room. There was a recessed handle, and also a small depression, in the shape of a hexagram.

Sean and Ephrod both took turns trying to pull up the hatch. Joy, seeing that they were clearly stronger than her, didn't bother trying. David didn't bother once he'd seen that the others were struggling. It was either too heavy to lift, or it was locked. The depression in it made David think it was probably locked.

David scratched his head, looking back and forth for a place where a key could be hidden. The room, however, was one continuous wall that curved all the way around them with no seams. Finally, David looked up. The ceiling was a good fifty feet above them, but David saw something up there.

"Hey, guys... is that what I think it is?"

The others looked up. Ephrod cursed.

"How the hell do we get up there?" he asked.

"We don't have to," Sean said. "David's a conjurer. That is, if you can reach that far..."

"I'm pretty sure I can." David took several deep breaths to try to calm himself, and then reached out with his mind. The hexagram key was sealed within a crystal enclosure, and so David had to reach inside of it and bring down the key without damaging the box it was inside of. In just a few seconds, however, he had managed it, and the key was in his hands.

"I don't know how the hell you do that," Sean admitted. "I could never get a grasp of conjuring."

As David bent over to slide the key into the depression, he said, "Well, right now, don't worry about it."

Once the hexagram was in place, the door popped upward slightly. Now when they pulled on it, the hatch swung easily, revealing a ladder downward, to a dimly lit tunnel, about ten feet below.

"Ladies first," Ephrod said.

"Gee, thanks," Joy told him.

"I'll go first," David volunteered. He climbed quickly down the ladder and took a look around. It was just a hallway, and so he motioned to the others to join him.

Once everyone was in the tunnel, Sean asked, "Now what?"

"It seems fairly clear to me," Ephrod said. "We can either go back, or forward. Since back doesn't get us anything useful, we should obviously go forward."

Sean glared at him, but they all started walking down the hallway. Sean and Ephrod were walking in the lead, side by side. David and Joy walked together behind them.

The tunnel was long, and it kept curving gently, which kept them from seeing what was ahead. Suddenly, Ephrod and Sean stopped.

"What is it?" David asked, unable to clearly see past them.

"A door," Ephrod said, turning to give the others a clear view. The door was heavy, and made of metal. It was locked with an electronic mechanism which looked sorely out of place in this magical world. The lock was encased in a clear crystal box, like the key had been. It was unreachable physically, and David saw no means by which the system could be forced open.

"So, how do we get past this?" Sean asked. David frowned, and looked at the other two.

Ephrod finally said, "I think I am the best to attempt it. The mechanism is clearly controlled by technology."

"Give it a go," Joy encouraged. David stood back and gave Ephrod room to work while Sean had his hand on the door handle, ready to yank it open as soon as it was unlocked. Joy tried to watch over Ephrod's shoulder until he shooed her back.

Ephrod stood for a long time, moving his hands and muttering things quietly. After about ten minutes, he said, "This is a very difficult mechanism."

"Can you get past it or not?" Sean demanded.

"I can. I'm just telling you it's going to take some time."

"We've got less than two and a half hours now," Sean snapped. "Get a move on!"

"Sean, chill out," David said quietly, not wanting to disturb Ephrod.

"If we fail because of this fucker, I'm going to be really pissed," Sean said.

"I'm quite sure there will be a chance for each one of us to screw up this little journey. But getting angry about it isn't going to help anything."

"Makes me feel better," Sean growled.

David snorted, but didn't say anything further. While he waited, he stuck a pixie stick in his mouth.

After another ten minutes or so, Ephrod gave a cry of triumph, and a loud clunk! was heard. Sean hauled on the door, and it swung open easily, revealing nothing more than a continuation of the dimly lit hallway. This time, however, it looked like it was curving the other direction. It also became clear that it was dropping more drastically than previously. The pitch was now visibly noticeable.

"I guess we just keep going," Joy said. The group stayed in the same formation, with Sean and Ephrod in the lead. They walked slowly, lest anything surprise them. Finally, they stopped again. David could hear something ahead of them snort before the others turned so that he and Joy could see what they faced.

Ahead, resting on the floor, were two very large oxen. They stared at the newcomers impassively, not moving an inch. The two oxen were one behind the other, as they wouldn't fit side-by-side in the passageway. They were, however, completely blocking the way forward.

"Great. So now what?" Sean said, annoyed.

"It is eminently obvious that we must get past the oxen," Ephrod stated.

"We could just blast them into hamburger..." Sean offered.

"Gross!" Joy objected.

"Not to mention a violation of school policy, and probably something that would hurt our chances of getting citizenship," David pointed out.

"Perhaps if we scare them?" Ephrod suggested.

"I... don't think that would be advisable, either," David said.

"Why not?" Sean demanded.

"Because those guys don't have room to turn around. If you scare them, they are going to run. Right at us."

"Oh. Yeah. Good point. What, then?" Sean asked.

"You're up," David said.

"What do you mean, I'm up?"

"You're going to have to get them to get out of our way."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the animperium expert."

"Oh. Yeah, right," he said, a bit embarrassed that he'd forgotten his own skills. He stepped forward and focused his attention on the animals. It took a minute before they even moved, but slowly they did struggle to their feet. It took further minutes as Sean worked to get them to walk backward down the passageway. The problem with this was they were not only walking backward, but downhill, and they were extremely uncomfortable.

"Hey, Sean?" David asked quietly.

"Yeah?" he said in a grunt, obviously concentrating.

"Can you control them enough for us to just squeeze past them without us getting hurt?"

"Probably, why?"

"Well, otherwise, this is going to take forever. We have no idea how long this corridor is."

Sean nodded. He focused back on the oxen, and they both shifted to one side. It didn't leave a lot of space, but there was enough for the people to brush by.

Joy was clearly very nervous about approaching the huge animals.

"C'mon. Sean's got them, and besides, they're oxen. It's not like they're going to try to eat you or anything."

"No, just trample me to death," she said.

"It'll be okay. Just follow me." David led her to the animals, and turned sideways. His chest just barely touched the side of the ox, which didn't so much as look at them as they squeezed past.

Sean was the last of them to make his way through the narrowed passage, and once he was behind them, he let loose of the oxen. They immediately stepped back to the middle of the passageway and settled down onto the floor again.

David looked at the time. They were just passing the two hour mark.

"We've got to hurry," Joy said.

"Hurrying is dangerous," David warned.

"So is failing," Sean retorted.

David shrugged, and motioned them forward.

The group continued to walk for another several minutes, when they came out into a large cavern. Exiting off the cavern were ten tunnels, including the one they'd just come out of. That was less of a concern at the moment than the group of creatures in front of them, pointing spears and advancing slowly in formation.

"Holy shit," Sean said, and began to form an energy ball. Ephrod moved away from Sean to give him room, and formed his own energy ball. David drew his wand, but kept it down by his side, waiting to see what would happen.

"Wait!" Joy said. "Don't!"

Sean did not extinguish the energy ball, but he turned to her. "Why not? If they want to come at me with a weapon, I'll use whatever defense I have available."

"Those are daubentonians."

"I don't care if they're purple people eaters," Sean said.

Joy stepped forward. "Daubentonians are easily frightened. But when they get scared, they attack. If you throw that at them, you guarantee we'll be in a fight in seconds. Now, we would probably win that, but how long would it take us? We don't have time to be screwing around with them."

"She has a point," David said.

"Well, then what do you suggest?" Sean challenged her.

Joy turned to face the daubentonians. They were short creatures, much shorter than a human. They had a reddish-brown fur, with white markings. They had expressive eyes, and huge, pointed ears that stuck out to the sides of their head. When Joy stepped forward, they all leveled their spears at her.

"Hello," she said quietly. "Can any of you understand what I'm saying?"

The daubentonians lifted their spears as they cocked their heads to one side, as if to say, in unison, "Huh?"

"We just want to get past you," she continued when she got no answer. "We don't mean you any harm. We just need to figure out which tunnel leads to the surface."

One of the creatures moved forward slightly, and then motioned Joy over to one side. There was a table there, which held a bed of sand. The creature drew a symbol in the sand.

"I don't speak daubentonian," Joy said to the creature in confusion.

For a long moment, the creature stared at her. Then, suddenly, it lifted its hand, as if in a gesture of triumph. Placing its finger in the sand, it drew a half-circle. From the bottom of the half-circle, it drew a straight line downward. It then placed a small circle below the straight line.

"That's a question mark," David said in surprise.

"Yes," Joy agreed.

"But what's the question?" Ephrod asked.

"Precisely," David said with a grin.

"Huh? I'm confused," Sean admitted.

"He's asking us what our question is," David said. "He wants to know... what it is we want."

"Ah!" Joy said. "But... uh... how do we tell him our problem?"

"I'm not sure," David admitted. "Guys?" Neither of the others had any idea, either.

"Well, let me just try something, then," Joy said.

First, Joy drew what looked like an overly wide stepped pyramid. David realized it was a side view of Mt. Woodward. She motioned to the picture, and then she waved her hands around, indicating that she was drawing a picture of their home.

The daubentonian watched her, and then pumped its hand up and down.

"You figure that means yes?" David asked.

"Or I understand..." Joy agreed.

"Or maybe hurry the fuck up," Sean grumbled. The others ignored him.

Joy turned back to the table, and she placed a dot within the mountain. She then pointed to the dot, and then to all of them around, finally pointing to the ground, and back to the dot.

The creature waved his hand back and forth this time. He reached over to the sand and smoothed away her dot. He then made his own dot, which was somewhat lower in the mountain than her dot. Now, he pumped his hand up and down again.

"He corrected me," Joy said. "He knows exactly where we are within the mountain. I have no clue."

"Okay, so we know where we are. But we need to know where we're going," Ephrod pointed out.

Joy nodded, and turned back to the sand. She started from the creature's dot, and drew a line up to the terrace. With that, she pointed to each of the four students, but not to any of the creatures, and pointed upward, then back to the sand table.

The daubentonian looked at the diagram, and then at them, then back to the diagram. Slowly, he got the idea, and he pumped his hand up and down again, but less enthusiastically.

"I think he gets it," Joy said.

"No telling. How do you ask him the next part?" David asked.

Joy moved to a clear section of the table, and she drew a roughly circular room. She then put ten doorways in it. She marked an arrow pointing inward on the tunnel they had come in on, and then, to make it clear to the creature, she pointed to the actual tunnel. Next, she pointed back and forth between the two diagrams, and then, between them, drew a question mark.

The daubentonian looked at the diagram, then back to the students, and then finally over at his tribe-mates. For a long minute, he kept looking back and forth. Finally, he pointed to Joy, and then he jabbed his finger upward repeatedly.

Joy nodded, and then, thinking he might understand better, she pumped her hand up and down as he had done.

The daubentonian grinned, and then he pointed again to Joy, then he swung his finger around the room, and then once again pointed upward. Joy pumped her hand again.

Finally, the daubentonian pointed to the tunnel they had come in, and then to the floor. Looking to Joy for confirmation, he waited for her to pump her hand again. Finally, he pointed to a tunnel off to their right.

Joy, seeing which tunnel he meant, altered her diagram of the room. She placed a dot where they were, and then drew a line going into the tunnel that the creature had pointed to. She then motioned from that diagram, back to the diagram of the mountain, indicating, she hoped, that she was making sure that tunnel would lead to the terrace.

The daubentonian, after a couple repeats of Joy's gestures, pumped his hand vigorously.

"Thank you," Joy said. She stepped back slightly, put her hands together, and bowed to the creature.

The creature then shocked all of them by sticking out his fist and raising his thumb, in a gesture known to all of them. They all returned the thumbs-up, and then they moved quickly off toward the designated tunnel.

"How do we know we're going the right way?" Sean demanded. "For all we know, he just told us the way to Senesty."

"I feel confident he understood our message," Joy replied defensively.

"Besides, we don't have time to second-guess him," David replied. The exchange had eaten up a lot of time, and they could all see the numbers ticking down on the display that floated with them.

Their trip down this tunnel didn't take long before it opened up into a small cavern. The problem was that a canal ran right down the middle of the cavern, and there was no bridge across it. There was the framework for the start of a bridge, however.

"Great. That little dick lied to us," Sean growled.

"I don't think so," David said. "This is almost certainly another test. Why would you build half a bridge, and stop?"

"So, we need a way to cross the water," Ephrod said. "How do you suggest we do that?"

After some consideration, David turned to Joy. "Can you make the water span that gap?"

"Well... sure, but what good is that? You can't walk on it..."

"Let me worry about that part," David said.

"Okay..." Joy stepped up onto the bridge anchor, and then she concentrated. The water bubbled, and then several fountains sprouted. They grew in strength, until they topped out at the level of the bridge, and the water fanned out until it had joined into a mostly solid sheet of water.

David stepped up next to Joy, pointed his wand, and intoned, "Friej fraxis!" A blast of blue light shot out of David's wand, engulfing the water fountains. Quickly, they solidified into ice.

"Holy shit," Sean said. "Where the fuck did you learn that?"

"I do a lot of reading," David said. Turning back to Joy, he asked, "Would you be offended if I added something to your bridge?"

"Go for it," she said.

David used his own aquamandy skills to draw more water out of the canal. This was easier for him, as the water could run along the surface of the ice. Once it had reached the top of the bridge, it formed columns, and the columns then split into two halves, joining their neighboring columns. A quick spell, and these, too, were frozen. He then repeated the task on the other side of the bridge.

"Did we really need to get all fancy?" Sean asked. "You just wasted three minutes."

"Did I? That's a sixty foot span. How slick do you suppose that ice is? Just how wet did you want to get?"

Sean grumbled, but didn't say anything further. The team slowly stepped onto the bridge, and it was immediately clear that the railing had been necessary. Joy was the first to fall down, but all of them fell at some point, except David, who kept his hand firmly gripping the railing at all times.

Once on the other side of the bridge, they hurried down the tunnel on the other side of the cavern.

"I wonder how much of this stuff is here permanently," David thought to himself.

"You think they rearrange the whole mountain for these tests?" Joy asked, surprised by the thought.

"Maybe not the whole mountain... I think that canal is probably permanent... but why would the daubentonians be down here? Why have that white room we started in? I keep thinking back to the primary purpose of the castle, and I can't make that purpose match up with what we're seeing."

"Is this at all important?" Sean said. "Or are we just wasting time?"

"How are we wasting time?" David asked. "We're walking just as fast as we were when we weren't discussing it. It's called curiosity, Sean. You should try it sometime."

"I don't need to take lessons from you," Sean growled.

"You need them from somebody," Joy retorted.

Just then, they turned a corner in the tunnel, and were confronted by another door. This door had two guards in front of it. The left guard held up his hand.

"This is a restricted area. No unaccompanied students allowed."

"Fuck!" Sean shouted. "We've been going the wrong way since we left that goddamned midget furball!"

"Settle down," David said.

"I don't take orders from you," Sean snapped. He was about to go off on a rant, when David clamped his hand onto Sean's throat and slammed him, hard, up against the wall. He glared at him in a way that made Sean wonder where the nearest bathroom was.

"I said settle the fuck down," David growled darkly. He then released Sean, who moved away from him quickly. David turned to the guards. "Who would we need to get to accompany us?"

"A member of the faculty or staff of the school," the guard said.

"Well... you guys are staff members," David tried. "One of you could go with us."

"We are not allowed to leave our post," the guard replied, rather predictably.

"Fine," David said. He motioned the others to walk back around the corner.

"Now what do we do?" Ephrod asked.

"We go back and beat the right information out of those furry fuckers," Sean snarled.

"This is the right path," David told them all.

"How can you be sure?" Joy asked, before Sean could snarl a retort.

"There are two guards, in front of a door that you can only get to by knowing the exact location of it. How many people do you think come down here? It is far more efficient to use a sturdy magical lock than it is to put a guard in front of a door. The only reason for using a guard, in fact, is that they can be fooled. Locks, not so much."

"So, you believe that we are supposed to find our way past the guards?" Ephrod asked.

"Yes. And if he wasn't so busy being pissed off, Sean would have already realized it's his chance to fuck up now."

"What?" Sean asked angrily. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're the morpher among us. We need a faculty member. We sure as hell aren't going to find one in the next hour and a half."

"You want me... to morph into a professor?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that against school policy?" Joy asked.

"I think in this case, it can be overlooked," David said.

"Who do you want me to become? Prof. Stott?" Sean asked snidely.

"I'm gonna let that one slide, because I don't have the time to carry your unconscious body out of this tunnel," David told him.

"Come on, you guys," Joy entreated them.

"Fine. I'll go as Prof. Hobbs. He's kind of a recluse, so those guards may never even have seen him before."

Sean quickly performed the necessary full-body morph, and he was soon several inches shorter than he had been, with white hair and a closely trimmed white beard. His coat was rumpled, and his shoes looked scuffed.

"Come on, then," Sean said, and led them around the corner again, walking right up to the two guards. "Well? Come on, come on, open the door. I haven't got all day," he said to them.

"Where's the other student?" the guard on the right asked.

"How do you think we found an instructor? He volunteered to go back and get him."

"And why didn't he come back with you?" the guard on the right asked.

"He hurt himself getting back out of this infernal place," Sean replied to them. "Now, come on, we haven't got time for all this jibber-jabber. Open the door, you slappywag."

The one guard looked to the other, who just shrugged at him. The left-hand guard turned his body, and opened the door, so that the team could go through it. The team, trying not to show their relief too greatly, hurried through.

As soon as the door closed behind them, they all let loose with a big sigh of relief. Sean morphed back into himself as they hurried down this new corridor.

"That's how it's done, bitches," Sean gloated.

The team continued down their new corridor, which pitched upward, until they met up with another door. This one had no handle at all. Through some more clear crystal, they could see an insanely complex machine, which was apparently responsible for opening the door.

Ephrod said, "Oh, dear."

"Can't do it, can you," Sean challenged.

"Yes, I believe I can. But once again, it will take time, and that is my concern. We are beginning to run short."

"Worrying about it isn't getting it done any faster," David replied. "Just do the best you can."

"Fuck this shit," Sean said, and he hurled an energy ball at the door. The ball bounced off and slammed full force into Sean's chest, sending him flying ten feet down the corridor.

Joy screamed. Ephrod turned to check on him, but David stopped him. "He'll be fine. You need to get to work on that door."

As Ephrod turned back to the mechanism, David went over to check on Sean, who was groaning in serious pain on the floor.

"Maybe now you'll learn a little fucking patience," David snapped, not offering to help him up.

"Fuck off," Sean groaned.

David turned and went back to the others, shoving a pixie stick into his mouth as he went.

It took over a half-hour for Ephrod to finally defeat the mechanism inside the crystal box. When he finally got it, the circuitry clicked in, the gears turned, and the worm drive which held the door shut turned, creating a passage for them to pass through.

By the time Ephrod had gotten it, Sean had recovered from his blast. He was not nearly so eager or talkative, however, and he kept rubbing the spot on his chest where he'd been hit. Realizing that their time was running out, they hurried down the corridor, until they had to come to a dead stop. They were faced with a blank wall. On either side were shelves full of herbs and mixtures. Sitting in front of the blank wall was a planter, filled with what looked like bamboo, only a foot high.

"Now what?" Joy asked plaintively.

David looked around. The items in the bottles and flasks were clearly potion ingredients. This was obviously his test. But what was he supposed to make a potion to do?

Think, David. Well, the first question is actually, in what way are we supposed to continue forward from this room?

David looked all around the room, but saw nothing that would be of use. Finally, he looked up. And that's when he realized that there was a shaft in the ceiling. And at the top of that shaft was some kind of light. He wasn't sure it was daylight; it was too far away. But light was light.

Well, there's the direction we have to go. Now, how do we go there? What potion can I make that would allow us to go up that shaft? There are no levitation potions that can lift us that high off the ground. So, what...

David looked around again.

The bamboo.

Everything that's in here, is here for a reason. But is it here to throw me off, or is it the actual answer? If I get this wrong, it could be fatal.

David pulled six flasks off the shelves. Then, considering, he pulled off a seventh, and pulled out his necklace, pulling one of the vials there free.

"What are you doing?" Joy asked.

"We have to go up," he said, pointing to the shaft.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Sean demanded.

"The bamboo," David said, while he was pouring ingredients together into an empty beaker.

"Uh..." Sean replied.

David finished mixing the first six ingredients, and then he walked over and dumped them onto the bamboo. The plants immediately began growing, tangling around each other for support as they soared higher and higher, working their way up the shaft.

"All right, then!" Sean said. "Not bad. Let's get going!"

"Not yet," David said.

"Now what?" Sean growled.

"We need a little insurance," David said. He poured his vial of base potion into the large flask of solution, which then turned orange.

"What kind of insurance?" Ephrod asked.

"What if you get halfway up that bamboo, and fall off?" David asked. "Wouldn't it be nice to survive that?"

"Ah, um... yes, it would," Ephrod agreed.

David held up the flask. "This is a levitation potion. It can't lift us up the shaft, but it will stop you from hitting the ground if you fall. Just take a single swallow." David took his first, and then passed the flask around. By the time Sean had taken the last swallow, David was already floating. Soon enough, they were all bobbing about two feet off the ground.

"Now we can go," David said. He floated over and grabbed the bamboo, then started to climb it. Once he was above the effective distance of the potion, he was "normal", and he had to hold on tightly to the bamboo as he climbed. The intertwining of the shoots gave him enough handholds and footholds to make the climb fairly easy, if long and a bit tiring.

Finally, David's climb took him past a ledge. He looked upward, but the light was coming from the ceiling, not any kind of opening. Grudgingly, he stepped off onto the ledge, and waited for the others.

In just another couple minutes, the others had made it to the ledge, as well. Their clock said they now had less than twenty minutes.

"We're never going to make this," Sean groused.

"We'll get as far as we can," David said. "If we're going to fail, it's not going to be because we didn't try."

They walked down the hallway that the ledge led to, and were very quickly confronted by a room that they could not get past. The room was made of metal, and there was a deep shaft instead of a floor. Off to one side, on a counter sticking out from the wall, was a candle, which was burning steadily.

"What the hell?" Ephrod said, staring down into the pit. They could see the door on the other side of the room, which had to be the way they were supposed to go. But how did they get over there?

Everyone was looking at everything, trying to figure out what they were supposed to do.

"What's this thing?" Ephrod asked, pointing to a flat panel attached to the wall and angled downward.

"That's a solar panel," Sean replied. "What the fuck's it doing here? And it's pointing the wrong way. It's supposed to point upward."

"No, it's not," David said, suddenly seeing what was going on. "It's supposed to point in the direction of the light source!"

"The only light source in here is that candle."

"Right."

"That's nowhere near bright enough to activate a solar panel."

"Not right now. Joy?" David asked.

Joy nodded, and then put out her hand toward the candle. The candle flame grew massive, and it nearly touched the solar panel.

Suddenly, an amber light appeared on a panel in the wall. It sat next to two other lights; a red one, which was lit, and a green one, which was dark.

"What do you think this all means?" Ephrod asked.

"Just a guess," David said, "But this probably is how we're supposed to get across the pit. You think you can figure out how to turn on that green light?"

"I can try."

"Quickly," Sean insisted. "We've only got thirteen minutes left!"

Ephrod placed his hands on either side of the panel and muttered a spell. In no time at all, a click was heard, and then a whirring sound could be heard from the depths of the pit. It took twenty seconds, but a bridge raised up from below, to cross the pit. Unfortunately, there was a huge block in the middle of the bridge.

"Good job!" David said as the light on the panel went from red to green, and the bridge clicked into place.

Ephrod relaxed, but then a horn was heard, and the green light turned red again. The bridge began descending once more.

"SHIT!" Sean screamed, and he jumped onto the bridge before it had dropped more than a foot.

"Can you reactivate the switch?"

"I don't think I can do it while the bridge is moving," Ephrod said. "There is usually a mechanism to prevent damage to the mechanicals."

David nodded. In twenty seconds, the bridge had stopped, and Ephrod reactivated the switch, to bring the bridge back up. They were now down to ten minutes.

"Now what? Those two can't move away from the panel. This gets us nothing," Sean said.

"I can leave the panel," Ephrod said. "I just have to maintain my focus."

"Me, too," Joy said. "It's just easier to hold it right here. But how do we get past that huge block?"

"I was looking at it while I was down in the pit," Sean said. "It's on a pivot. I tried pushing, but it must weigh a ton."

David tried using terramandy on it, but that was no use. It was made of metal, which didn't respond well to terramandy.

"What about a huge beast? Like a wyrm?" Ephrod offered.

"Where are we going to get one of those?" Sean demanded.

"I'm looking at him," Ephrod replied.

"Who you calling a worm?" Sean said, starting to go after Ephrod, until David grabbed him.

Sean turned as David said, "He means you can morph into a wingless wyrm and push the block out of the way."

"Oh."

Without another word, Sean began his morph. In a minute, he was a huge dragon, built for pushing and pulling on things. He applied his weight to the block, and it slowly moved out of his way. By the time the block was clear, they had only four minutes left.

"Come on!" David called to the others. "But keep your focus until you get across!"

It took another minute for everyone to be on the far side of the pit. When Ephrod relaxed, the horn sounded again, and the bridge dropped down.

The four were looking at a door now. It was clearly an electronic door.

"Ephrod again?" Joy asked.

"No," Ephrod said. "I think this one is David's job."

"How so?" David asked.

"There is a piece missing from the device. And it's sitting here on the shelf. You see that small empty space, right there?" Ephrod asked, pointing to another crystal box, behind the panel of clear crystal.

"I see it... but damn, that's going to be a tight fit."

"I think that's the idea."

David took the piece of the device, and oriented it the way he figured it should go. He then closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to feel the available space. He soon realized a problem.

"That's not a box. It's a block. It's solid. There's no room inside it."

"So... now what?" Sean asked frantically. "We've got two minutes!"

"Remove the block?" Joy suggested.

David nodded. This was easier. He closed his eyes and grabbed the block mentally. In just a few seconds, it was in his hand. Now, he could easily conjure the piece of the device into place. It took him two tries, however, to get it oriented properly.

Once the device settled in, the panel on the door lit up. The "Press to Open" button glowed a bright, friendly green. Sean jabbed the button hard, and the four were all assaulted by the sunlight which came streaming through the crack as the door opened. They squinted against the bright light, and a beeping noise was heard before the door finished opening.

"We've got less than a minute!" Sean cried. "Where are we?"

David looked at the building in front of them. They were on the Academy level, but he wasn't used to this perspective, and the building before him didn't look quite right.

"It's Beckett Hall!" Joy cried out.

David considered that for a moment. Sean was just about to bolt for the walkway across the moat when David nearly tackled him.

"What are you doing!" Sean demanded. "We've got forty seconds!"

"That's not Beckett Hall! We haven't climbed anywhere near high enough to be on the Academy level! This is an illusion."

"What?" Ephrod asked.

David explained, "In order to reach the Academy level, we'd have to have climbed a solid five hundred feet. I can't imagine that we climbed even three hundred. This has to be fake."

"So we failed!" Sean screamed as the timer clicked off the last few seconds, and then a loud buzzer was heard.

The view before them suddenly vanished, and they found themselves standing in front of a table with five wizards sitting at it. Arrayed around the room were mirrors, which had clearly been giving the examiners a view of what had been going on.

"Your test is complete," the one in the middle said. "You will be taken to the surface, and your performance will be evaluated. We will contact you with the results at some point tomorrow."

"What's to evaluate?" Sean demanded. "We didn't get anywhere near Beckett Hall."

"Nor was there any way for you to do so," the examiner pointed out. "The path you were on does not go to Beckett Hall. None of them do. You had absolutely no chance of actually completing the task. The only reason that the pit was your final challenge was because you ran out of time. Had you completed the tasks more quickly, you would simply have faced more challenges."

"So, you lied to us," Joy accused.

"They always lie to us," David replied. "Every single time they test us, they lie to us. That's why I checked for the illusion there at the end."

"Very good, Mr. Stroud. If you will exit out to your right, you will be led up to the terrace."

The group nodded to the examiners, and then left.

"So, what the fuck was that all about? If we could never achieve the goal, what the fuck was the point of the test?" Sean demanded.

"To test our abilities, of course," Ephrod said.

"No it wasn't," David replied.

Ephrod looked at him. "Oh?" he replied archly. "What, then?"

"They were testing our personalities. That's why I'm still a bit worried about the outcome. This wasn't about finding out how good we are as magicians. This was about finding out how good we are as people."

"We're screwed," Sean said with a scowl.

"I guess we'll see," Joy said, frowning.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Name?" the examiner asked.

"David Stroud."

"Group Forty-two," one of the other examiners mentioned.

"Ah, yes. Let us first say this: your group had excellent skills in wizardry. Your group went the farthest of any group tested today. But, as I'm told you have already surmised, your wizarding skill is not our true concern when it comes to your citizenship petition."

"I thought as much, from things people have said to me."

"Yes. We are concerned with the temperament and personality of our citizens. We don't want power-hungry individuals in charge, after all."

"Let's cover the things you did well first, shall we?" the one woman examiner said. "First off, your wizarding skills are top notch. Your conjuring and potion making are first-rate. This is to be expected, of course, as you are either an apprentice or a master in these skills.

"Further, your attempt at maintaining a positive team dynamic was above average. Not quite excellent... generally, it doesn't improve team dynamic to slam someone against a wall while choking them."

The examiners chuckled. David would have blushed, if he could have.

"However, we're aware that the stress of this test builds throughout the hours, and by the time you did finally lose your patience, it was well into the exam.

"Next, your problem-solving abilities are excellent. It was clear that you were able to look past the immediate anxiety of the situation, and try to find the solution. Further, you were willing to accept the input and ideas of others, and you engaged them in the problem solving process.

"Finally, your sense of determination in reaching your goal was admirable. You were determined, but not driven blindly. You kept pushing forward, without becoming fixated."

Another examiner spoke up at this point. "In short, you did everything well, with one exception. There was something we expected you to do, that you didn't, and we were somewhat disappointed in that."

"May I ask what that was, sir?" David asked seriously.

"We expected you to lead," another examiner explained. "You were right in your assumption that you were all grouped for your specific skills. The one skill we felt you brought to the challenge, which you chose not to use, was your leadership ability. Had you taken charge, and been the one to make the decisions, rather than depended on some kind of team consensus, you might have actually seen one or two more challenges."

"I didn't want to seem too pushy," David explained.

"And that is both understandable, and admirable, but you will need to learn that there is, in fact, a time and a place for being pushy. It may someday be the case that people's lives will depend on you stepping up and taking charge, even over the objections of others. And, by the way, had you tried to do so, Sean would have objected. He would, however, have ultimately followed your lead, as you saw there in the end."

"Yes, sir," David said. What else could he say?

"That is our assessment. Do you have any questions?"

"One. You said we could have seen more challenges, but the pit challenge ended in your observation room. How could there have been more tests?"

The lead investigator explained, "The section of Mt. Woodward that is used for testing is highly malleable. If we had thought you might make it through another challenge, we'd have constructed a passageway, instead of showing you Beckett Hall."

"So, you were making changes as we progressed?"

"Yes."

"Where did the short guys in the cavern come from?"

"The Daubentonians were brought in for the testing. They live in Sopasante, and so we were reasonably certain that no one would be able to speak with them directly. Joy did an amazing job communicating with them. They praised her in her communication skills."

"It was pretty cool."

"Do you have any further questions?"

"Um... did I pass?"

"Yes, you passed," the woman said with a smile.

"Thank you."

"You earned it. You will receive your official citizenship paperwork at the ceremony later. Welcome to Callamandia."

-----

"I, David Stroud, before these witnesses, do pledge to the King of Callamandia my loyalty and allegiance, my service and support, from this day forth. I acknowledge the king's authority over me, and I vow to abide by the laws and decrees of this land. I offer my service to the government of Callamandia at any time it should be deemed essential, and in any role for which I am qualified. I stand ready to defend Callamandia from all enemies, external and internal, and to uphold the Decree of Rabb, which founded this kingdom. I make this oath of my own free will, without coercion or duress, and I understand the duties to which I am committing."

As the entire group of two hundred twenty-eight students finished their recitation of the Callamandian Oath of Allegiance, the audience applauded. The ceremony was taking place in Santana Hall's auditorium, since the stadium was being prepared for the wizarding licensure ceremony. The students were on stage, standing on a tiered platform. Their parents and other relatives sat in the audience.

The official who had led them in their oath now said, "By the power given to me by the sitting King of Callamandia, I hereby declare you all Callamandian citizens, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof."

There was further applause from the audience as the official left the stage, and Dean Lengel returned to the podium.

"Each of the students will now receive their official citizenship certificate, which bears on it their exam scores. Plus, there are a few students who need to be pointed out for particular mention, and I will do that as I call them up to receive their certificate. The names will be called in alphabetical order."

"At least this probably won't take as long as the wizarding license ceremony," David muttered to Olissa, who was standing next to him.

"Don't count on it. She's waiting for each person to get their certificate before she calls the next name."

"Simon Crowley," Dean Lengel called out. Simon stepped forward, into the clear walking lane in front of where they were standing. He moved to the end of the row, and then walked down the stairs to the stage, to receive his certificate. Dean Lengel shook his hand, and then he headed back the way he had come.

"Devyn. Devyn is an elf, and previously orphaned. I'd like to announce that not only is she receiving Callamandian citizenship today, but she has also been accepted back into the Elven Nation, after a grueling set of quests to prove her skills and her merit."

The audience clapped politely, but no one was there to see Devyn.

"Gwen Hasterscant," the dean called out a little bit later. There was loud applause from one section of the audience. David assumed that's where her parents were sitting.

"Heath Mason," Dean Lengel called out. "Heath has recently been selected for the Royal Orchestra, as a flautist." There was applause for that.

"Why didn't you get selected for the orchestra? Your melodium was the best thing I heard at that concert," David asked Olissa quietly.

"I didn't apply," she responded in a whisper. "He did."

"Oh."

Finally, Dean Lengel said, "David Stroud." As David began to move out of the row, Dean Lengel said, "David holds the distinction of having the highest combined score on his citizenship exam this year. David is also a potions master, a conjuring apprentice, and has already received two chevrons in service to the king. I'd also like to announce that, due to an agreement with the king concerning one of David's potions, Woodward Academy will be able to renovate Alton Hall, which is our oldest classroom building. This renovation will take place over the summer, and will be completed for the upcoming fall semester."

The audience applauded loudly for all of that, and David averted his eyes in embarrassment. He just wanted his certificate. Dean Lengel shook his hand and smiled warmly at him. He smiled in return, but headed back up to the platform as quickly as he could.

"Flo Tractus," Dean Lengel called out. Flo fluttered as she stepped out of the row, then moved quickly down to get her certificate.

"And our last new citizen, Olissa Volaire."

Olissa stepped forward stiffly. She nervously made her way down onto the stage. Dean Lengel said, "Olissa has been chosen to be Woodward's musical ambassador for next year. She will occasionally travel to other schools, and to certain royal ceremonies, to play her crystal melodium, which is touted as one of the purest performances of the instrument ever heard."

The audience applauded again. David was a bit surprised; he'd not known that she had been chosen for that. When she finally returned to his side, he gave her a hug and a discreet kiss.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"You've been a bit busy," she said.

David grunted in agreement at that.

"And this is your new class of citizens. From what I see standing behind me, Callamandia's future is a bright one. Congratulations, one and all!"

With that, the ceremony ended. The orchestra - minus a few of its best players - struck up a song, and the students all descended from the platform. Everyone headed outside immediately, so that the mingling and congratulations could take place somewhere with some room.

Olissa's parents had made the trip for this event, like they had for her licensure. They both hugged her tightly in warm support. Her Aunt Shandra was also there.

"Congratulations, David," Aunt Shandra said to him.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Now you two get married, right, che?" Olissa's father asked.

"Papa!" Olissa cried out, embarrassed. "We're not even dating!"

David chuckled at Olissa's discomfiture.

"If you'll all excuse me," he said, "I think someone is waiting to talk to me."

David walked over to where Sam was standing.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," she replied. "Congratulations." She stepped close to him and pressed her entire body against him, kissing him as hard as he could ever remember. Her tongue wormed its way into his mouth, and the two remained like that for a solid minute. Finally, she let him go. "I'm very proud of you, David. Congratulations on your citizenship. I know you have friends you want to celebrate with, but stop by my apartment later tonight. We should celebrate properly."

David gave her a knowing grin. "I'll be there."

As Sam walked off, Flo appeared. "David, I wanted you to meet my parents. Mom, Dad, this is David."

"Mr. and Mrs. Tractus, nice to meet you both." David shook their hands.

"Flo tells us you've been helping her with Conjuring," Mrs. Tractus said.

"Well, nowadays, I help everybody, since I'm a TA."

"You've had a very impressive stay here at Woodward," Mr. Tractus said. "Will you be continuing on?"

"Oh, yes. I still have a lot to learn."

"Flo plans another year or two, as well. Good luck to you, David."

"Thank you, sir."

Flo gave David a hug and a quick kiss. "See you in the fall," she said.

"Um... aren't you carrying a few too many squirrels?" David asked. He could see that, though Pickles was in his usual place, Flo had a travel-case with Peanut and the young squirrels in it.

"Ellie and Peanut decided to split up. Peanut wanted to stay with Pickles, and I don't mind. And the babies aren't quite ready to leave yet. Close, though. The black one is Pepper, the two grays are Pinochle and Poker. The white one, which, you were right, is a familiar, is named Emilia."

David chuckled at how out of place that last name seemed. He also had another thought, but that would wait until later. To Flo, he said, "Well, I guess they're getting a good home. Have a great summer."

"You, too. See ya!"

"David? We have to get going," Olissa said, coming up right after Flo had left. "Will I see you this summer?"

"Um... I honestly don't know. I have no idea what I'm doing this summer... other than finding a place to live. I have to go talk to Jacob, to see if I own any houses. I'll write you, to let you know what's going on, okay?"

"Sure. Good luck. If nothing else, I'll see you in the fall." Olissa gave him a hug and a brief kiss, given the presence of her family. They'd spent the previous night together in celebration, anyway. As they walked away, David turned back to his other friends. Heath and his family were already gone. David had never gotten to know Heath well, and he felt a bit upset about that. He'd never have the chance, now.

Simon and his parents were waiting. "David," Simon said. "It's been great."

"You're not coming back next year?" David asked astutely.

"No. I'm going to work for my uncle. He runs a magical items shop in Bolmont."

"Well, good luck, then. Thanks for sticking by me those first couple years."

"Bah," he said, waving it off. "I knew you were going places."

"Right," David said, his voice full of sarcasm.

Simon chuckled. "You going to come back here next year?"

"Yeah."

"Then good luck to you, too. Take care of yourself." The two men hugged, and then Simon and his parents left.

"You look a bit down," Denise said. She had come up behind him as he was saying good-bye to Simon.

"Losing friends is never fun. First Jim, now Heath, Simon, Gwen, Jess... that's most of the friends I have at this school."

"I doubt that's actually true," Denise said. "Besides, Ellie and Anne will be here next year."

I don't really hang out with either of them," David told her. Which was technically true. Though he and Ellie slept together, they didn't spend much other time together.

"Oh. Well, maybe you should," Denise said.

David shook his head. "We don't really have anything in common. Even our schooling style will be different next year. I'll have a lot more unstructured time than they will."

"I know. Will we see you this summer?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know."

"David... I know that you basically come to see Gwen, and she won't be there, as she's moving in with Jess down in Bolmont, but I would still really like to see you this summer."

David nodded. "I'll see what I can do. I don't know what my plans are, yet."

"Better figure it out soon. Summer starts in about twenty minutes," she said with a grin.

David chuckled. "I have until Monday to be out of the dorms."

Denise nodded, and then she moved off. Jess and Gwen replaced her. David immediately embraced Gwen, who started crying instantly. David looked at Jess, who reached out her hand and took David's. The scene was very sad. By the time Gwen let him go, there were tears in David's eyes, as well.

"You will write me, and mirror me, and let me know how you're doing. Or I'll come back up here and kick your butt," Gwen ordered tearfully.

"Yes, ma'am," David said with a smirk.

Gwen chuckled, and almost broke down crying again.

"David, you have been the best friend I could have hoped to have found when I got here. You've helped me so much, with school, and with life in general... I don't know how to thank you."

"No thanks necessary. My life would have been a nightmare here if not for you and a couple others. You're a good friend, Gwen. I wish you and Jess all the best. If there's anything I can do for either of you, just let me know."

Gwen cried some more as she hugged him again. Jess smiled at the two of them. Finally, they had to separate.

"Keep in touch," David told both of them. They promised to do so, and then they, too, moved off. There was actually no one left. David stood there, alone, until Jailla came down from a tree to rest on his shoulder.

"You're a citizen now," Jailla said. "So... now what?"

"Good question," David said, sticking a pixie stick in his mouth. "Oh, shit, that's right. I'm out of these. I need to go to the store and get some."

"Right now?" Jailla asked.

"No... it can wait until tomorrow, I guess. But before Friday, at any rate. I have that damned weapons-carry exam on Friday, and I'm a bit worried about exactly what that's going to entail."

"I'm sure you'll do fine."

"Let's hope."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked as David came in the door.

David just shook his head, and then headed over to the shelf where the pixie sticks were kept...

Only there weren't any there.

David looked around a bit, to see if they'd been moved. Finally, he gave up and walked up to the counter.

"Do you have any pixie sticks?"

"Nope. We're fresh out."

"Out? Really?"

"Well, you bought our last supply of them. The guy who makes them hasn't had time to replenish the stocks. It takes a while, you know."

"Oh. Well, damn," David said, out loud. Inside his head, he was nearing panic. What the hell am I supposed to do to relax now?

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" the clerk asked.

"Uh, no. No, thanks. Any idea when you'll have more pixie sticks in?"

"Couple weeks, I 'spect."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Have a good day."

David walked out of the store, literally shaking. He tried to shake it off physically, shaking his limbs and his head. That didn't work. He decided to head over to the Slyther Inn. Perhaps some mead might calm him down.

Three hours later, David was slightly tipsy, but he wasn't any more relaxed. Bonnie had offered to take him back to her room for some fun, but he felt too ill now to participate properly. He stepped out of the inn, and made his way back up to his dorm room.

"You're drunk," Jailla said.

"I am not. I'm only half-drunk."

"You're a wreck."

"On that, we are in agreement," David said. "I'm going to go lie down."

"Don't oversleep. You have a test in the morning," Jailla warned.

"Believe me, I haven't forgotten."

David walked carefully into his room and collapsed on the bed. Seconds later, Jailla heard him snoring.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"This exam is one hundred questions long," the official told them. "You have ninety minutes to complete it. This is only the first half of your examination. The second half will be your physical performance test, which will take place after lunch. You are spread out so that you can have some privacy. You may begin."

David flipped over the test, and read the first question. As he did, he almost felt like his head was draining of information. By the time he finished reading the question, he hadn't the faintest idea of the answer.

Trying not to panic, David read over the next one. He couldn't answer it. Again and again, David came up blank. After the first page, he sat back and set his InkyQuill down.

Settle down, David. You know this shit. You've been studying it all year, and you don't have test anxiety. That means this is all in your head, and all you need to do is just settle down.

David took several deep breaths and then picked up his quill again. He started back at the top of the page, and read the question one more time. This time, he had an inkling of the answer. He wrote down what he remembered, and then moved on.

It took David seventy-five minutes to write down as many answers as he could come up with. He started back through the test, but when the official called for quills down, David knew he had at least five completely unanswered questions on the exam.

Fuck me, he thought to himself as he walked out of the exam room.

Rather than gather with his classmates, David headed off on his own. He knew he had to relax somehow, but he couldn't figure out what would work. He hadn't meditated in so long that the idea of doing so didn't even occur to him.

David skipped lunch; his stomach was too knotted to want food. At two o'clock, he headed over to the stadium, where the physical testing would take place. He went into the locker room and changed, clipping his practice sword and his staff into place. Then, equipped for his test, he stepped out into the gym to do a few warmups.

The other students gathered in pairs and groups, and at two-thirty, the official stepped into the gym.

"I see that you're all here. Good. Written exam grades were scattered, as is common. None of you is immediately disqualified from receiving your license. If you will all head outside to the yard, we will call you back in one at a time, so that you will not have to perform your test in front of everyone."

David joined everyone else outside. He took out his staff and practiced with it, trying to keep himself loose, and to help him calm down. By the time his name was called, however, it hadn't helped much.

Stepping into the gym, David moved into the center circle. The official was a good ways away from him.

"Mr. Stroud, your written exam score was marginal. You will need to do extremely well in the physical skills portion in order to receive your license. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," David said.

"Very well. Draw your staff."

David pulled out his staff and lengthened it, holding it down by his side.

"Sunrise Dragon, if you please," the man said.

David thought very hard. It took him thirty seconds to draw up the memory of how to begin Sunrise Dragon. When he had it, he took his stance.

"Begin."

David moved through the form, but he could tell that his motions were jerky, and not at all fluid. He tried to speed up, hoping that would help him concentrate better, but it merely caused him to stumble, almost falling, which would have been the end of the form, and probably his test. When he finished, he was breathing heavy, which he didn't need to do at all, but the stress was causing a typical human reaction in him.

The official wrote some notes. "We will now go through some basic moves. I will call them out, and you will perform them."

David readied himself. The man called out the moves in rapid-fire form, David trying his best to keep up. With the last one, David shifted so awkwardly that his staff almost flew out of his hand. He caught it at the very end, and then had to do some flashy twirling to get it back to where it belonged without looking like a complete idiot.

"Mm-hmm," the man said, and made further notes. "Draw your sword now."

David put away his staff, and then pulled his sword from its scabbard.

"Bueller's Guard," the man said.

David cursed mentally. They had only done this one a few times, anyway. He remembered how to begin it, at least, and took his stance immediately.

"Begin."

Five moves in, David swore up and down in his mind. He was absolutely sure he'd just left out an entire section of the form. He couldn't go back, of course. He merely had to keep going. He worked his way through it, and by the time he was finished, he had almost convinced himself he'd not actually forgotten anything.

The official took him through several moves with the sword, just as he had with the staff. He managed to keep hold of his sword, but he still felt stiff and awkward, rather than smooth and flowing.

Finally, the official told him to put away his sword. He wrote some more items on his sheet, and then he turned to David.

"You missed eight moves of Bueller's Guard. Your moves through both forms were jerky. You didn't have proper control of your staff, and your sword looked uncomfortable in your hands. Given your marginal test score, and your even worse performance score, I cannot grant you a weapons-carry license at this time. Further, as I'm sure you know, you will not be eligible to retest for six months. Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir," David said, controlling himself.

"Very well. You may go."

David walked out the door which led to the locker room, so he could change. He hoped no one would be in there; he didn't want to talk to anyone. He switched into his regular clothes as quickly as he could, bundled up his gear, and slipped out the back way of the stadium, so that he wouldn't run into the students still waiting for their exam.

"How did it go?" Jailla asked.

"I failed," David said.

Jailla cocked his head. "You never fail," he objected.

"Yeah? Well, I did this time! FUCK!" David slammed his hand into a wall, and that sent shockwaves of pain rippling through his arm.

"Shit. I think I just broke something. Goddammit, I'm going to go lie down."

David retreated to his bedroom. Jailla, having nothing he could offer in comfort, returned to staring out the window.

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David spent all of Saturday and Sunday alone. He had even forgotten about Anne's licensure ceremony, which he had intended to go to. He'd thrown a brief fit of anger at himself Saturday morning, tossing things around in his room and cursing his utter idiocy. Finally, he had calmed down, and realized that staying mad wasn't going to achieve anything.

Now, he was sitting on a tree stump, trying to meditate. He had vowed to himself to never again use pixie sticks, but his mental concentration was completely fucked up. He knew that meditation could return his control, but he'd been away from it for so long that he was having difficulty managing it.

He continued to try all day, even as darkness descended. He wasn't making much in the way of progress. The buzzing noise coming from his pocket certainly didn't help anything.

David withdrew his mirror and said, "Yeah?"

In his mirror, he saw Annie's face. "David? You need to get up to the infirmary as soon as you can."

David knew that tone of voice from Annie. "On my way."

David put away his mirror as he rose from the stump. He ran as fast as he could to the nearest rock lift. He was in the infirmary a few minutes later.

David stopped when he saw Cat lying on the bed. Her face was badly bruised, and one arm was bandaged, as if broken. She seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

"What the fuck happened?" David demanded, trying to control his anxiety.

"According to Bonnie, down at the Slyther Inn, her boyfriend worked her over."

"In public?" David asked, astounded.

"Yeah."

"Is he still there?"

"He was when I left," Annie confirmed.

"Then that's where I'm going."

As David turned to leave, Annie asked, "Do you really think talking to him is going to do any good?"

When David turned around, the look on his face made Annie take two steps back.

"Who said anything about talking?"

-----

It was easy for David to spot Paul Andros when he stepped into the Slyther Inn. The man was boasting roundly about his exploits. As David stalked toward him, others moved away. They could sense the danger approaching.

"And look if it isn't the bitch's nosy little brother!" Andros said when he saw David. David judged him to be drunk, but not so drunk as to not be responsible for his actions. "And have you come to beg for an apology, Davey?" Turning to the bartender, he tried to say, "I'm sure he hates being called..."

At that point, David grabbed Andros by the collar, forcibly turned him to face David, and he punched him as hard as he could in the face. Andros dropped like a sack of potatoes to the floor, screaming in agony as the blood gushed from his broken nose.

David ignored the man for a minute, as he pulled some granas out of his pocket. He counted them out and set them on the bar, scooting them over to the bartender, who was also the owner.

The bartender counted them out. "Three thousand granas? What the hell is this for?"

"Repairs," David replied. He then turned back to the writhing body of Paul Andros, who was just now getting to his feet. David yanked the man up forcibly, and then punched him in the stomach. Andros doubled over, but David was having none of that. He grabbed the man by his lapels and hauled.

Andros left his feet, and then his back slammed down hard onto a table. The table collapsed under the impact. Andros rolled free of the debris, trying to rise to his feet.

David blasted an energy ball into Andros' chest, sending him flying into another table. The other patrons had cleared the floor, but they weren't leaving. They wanted to watch the fight.

"Hey, you want to fight dirty, I can fight dirty," Andros said, firing a sloppy ball of energy straight at David.

David caught it and exploded it in a harmless flash of light. He then brought his hands together, and everyone could see a bright light forming there. Finally, David let loose with a bolt of electricity. It was far feebler than what he'd created in class, because there wasn't nearly as much electricity floating around the pub. Still, it caused Andros to quiver and shake, and he dropped to his knees once David released him.

David walked over to the man, and kicked him in the jaw. Andros went sprawling on the floor. Not nearly satisfied, David reached down and once more hauled the man forcibly to his feet, and punched him in the face again. Andros bounced off the wall and staggered away, until David fired another ball of energy which hit him in the knee.

Andros toppled to the floor, his knee wrenched. He screamed in agony.

"Not so much fun on the receiving end, is it, you cocksucking son of a bitch?" David roared angrily. He pulled out his wand and began uttering every painful hex he could think of. By the time David had run out of spells, Paul Andros was lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood, spit, and vomit. He was barely capable of moving. David was, himself, drenched in sweat. His rage had finally run its course. The man was alive, if barely. Now, all that was left were the consequences.

David turned back and sat down at the bar.

"Honey mead, if you would," David asked.

The bartender poured the drink without comment. Bonnie, however, came over to him.

"David, you need to get out of here. I called the Rimohrs on that jerk before you got here. They could be here any minute!"

"And I'm not going to make Joe's life any harder by making him hunt me down," David said to her. "But thanks for the warning, anyway."

"David... this is because of what he did to Cat?"

"Cat is a good friend of mine. Nobody does that to a friend of mine without an appropriately measured response."

"This was measured?" the bartender asked incredulously.

"He's still alive, isn't he?" David asked reasonably.

The bartender opened his mouth, but didn't have a good response to that. David finished his mead, and set the mug down. "If that doesn't cover the damage, please let me know, and I'll pay whatever more is necessary."

The barman waved it off, and refilled David's mug.

"On the house," he said. "Cat's a friend of mine, too, but I can't afford to do what you just did. I have a business and a family."

David nodded, then raised his mug to the barman, and took a big gulp.

-----

When Joe and Vivian entered the pub, Bonnie hadn't even bothered trying to clean up the devastation. David had broken about half the tables in the place, and at least as many chairs. There was glass strewn everywhere, and the patrons had simply moved to the unmangled end of the room.

"Holy shit, what happened in here?" Joe asked.

"He did," someone said, jerking his thumb in David's direction. It was the healer from Gorumshead, who didn't have much familiarity with David.

Joe saw David sitting at the bar, drinking calmly. He saw the remains of what had once been a man, but now looked more like a pile of debris.

"Is he alive?" Joe asked the healer.

"Yes. And he'll live. But he's going to be in an infirmary for a very long time."

"How long?" Vivian asked.

"Months."

Joe nodded, and moved over to David. "Feeling a bit aggressive today, are we?" Joe asked.

"Not really," David replied. "I was kind of angry earlier... but I'm feeling much better now."

Joe cocked an eyebrow at him. "You... did that."

"Not much point in denying that."

"Why?" Vivian asked.

"He hurt a friend of mine. She's lying in the infirmary on campus. I figured, if she was in an infirmary, he should be, too."

"You realize I'm going to have to arrest you for this," Joe said.

"I know. Why do you think I'm still here?"

"Are you trying to break up my marriage? Do you realize what Zyla is going to do to me when I go home and tell her I arrested our daughter's godfather?"

David smirked. "Tell her he deserved it, and that you had a job to do. Or, if you want to wimp out, you could make Vivian arrest me. Her pat-down would probably be more fun, anyway..."

Vivian blushed at that.

Joe shook his head. "Come on. Stand up and turn around."

"Is that really necessary?" Bonnie asked. "He's no danger to you, and if he was a flight risk, he wouldn't have been waiting for you."

"It's regulations, ma'am," Vivian said. "We have to do it to everyone."

"Don't worry about it, Bonnie. It's cool."

"No, it's not," she said seriously. "It's not cool at all. Good luck, David," she said, and kissed him strongly for a brief moment before stepping back.

"Thanks." Turning to Joe, he said, "Okay, Officer Garibaldi, let's get going."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

"Mr. Stroud," the magistrate said. "To what do we owe the pleasure this time?"

The prosecutor said, "Your Honor, Mr. Stroud is charged with aggravated battery, and aggravated magical battery."

The magistrate's eyes widened. "Details?"

"On Sunday, May 19th, David Stroud entered Ye Olde Slyther Inn and Pub, in Gorumshead, around eight o'clock in the evening. There, he attacked one Paul Andros, a patron at the pub. We have statements from several witnesses, including the bartender and the barmaid."

"And is Mr. Andros here today?" the magistrate asked.

"No, Your Honor. Mr. Andros is in the Gorumshead infirmary. It is the estimation of Healer Hoo that Mr. Andros will be there for several months, due to the magical nature of many of the injuries."

"Yikes," the magistrate opined. Turning to David, he returned to his professional mien. "Mr. Stroud, how do you plead to the charges before you?"

"Guilty," David said. There was a gasp in the audience. They had not expected that.

"Are you ever going to learn how you're supposed to do this?" the magistrate asked. "You plead not guilty, then we try to find out whether or not you really did it." The magistrate was clearly trying to lighten the mood in the court.

David shrugged. "Sorry, Your Honor, but I see no reason to deny the obvious truth. I did, in fact, attack Paul Andros, with intent to do harm. And yes, I was pretty aggravated at the time."

The magistrate, and several audience members, chuckled. The prosecution said, "That is not what aggravated battery means!"

David shrugged at the man.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?" the magistrate asked.

"Only that I had what I consider to be a good reason for my actions."

"What could possibly justify this?" the prosecutor objected.

David handed the man an image, on a piece of parchment. He was gratified to see the man pale. As the prosecutor handed the picture to the magistrate, David said, "I don't know if you recognize her or not, Your Honor. That is Catherine Arpilla. She has been in your court a couple of times."

"I'm aware of who she is. What in the world happened to her?"

"Paul Andros happened to her. This image of her was taken right before I arrived at the infirmary on Sunday night. I was informed that Paul Andros had beaten her."

"Objection. This brings in facts not in evidence."

"Not true," David replied. "Read Officer Garibaldi's report closely. He makes it clear that he was called to the Slyther Inn to arrest a man assaulting a woman. Further, the statement of the barmaid, Bonnie, makes clear that she was calling the Rimohrs against Andros, not me."

"Agreed. Your objection is overruled. So, let me get this straight, son. You're still watching out for Catherine Arpilla, who was, apparently, dating this Andros character. Andros chose to work her over in public. When you were told about it, you went to have it out with the man. Did you try to talk to him about it?"

"When I stepped into the pub, the man was boasting about what he'd done. I saw no merit in trying to discuss it with him."

"Did you intend to discuss it before you entered the pub?" the magistrate asked knowingly.

"No," David replied honestly.

"I see. So, you went there for..."

"Vengeance."

The magistrate's eyes went wide. "You're not even going to call it justice?"

"If I had been administering justice, Your Honor, the man wouldn't still be alive."

There was a loud murmur through the courtroom at that. The magistrate gaveled them quiet.

"An interesting statement. You have no remorse for your actions whatsoever, do you?"

"No, sir, I don't."

"An unrepentant criminal," the prosecutor asserted. "That kind of attitude deserves the maximum penalty."

"Perhaps you need to see the picture again?" the magistrate asked. "This isn't someone who randomly picked a man to beat up for his money, or to strong-arm him into some agreement. This is a man who was balancing the books for something done to a friend."

"But, Your Honor," the prosecutor started.

"Quiet, Doug," the magistrate said. Turning to David, he said, "Your plea of guilty is accepted by the court. Further, your extenuating circumstances are accepted as mitigation by the court. As such, I am hereby sentencing you to twenty-one days. You may serve them in the facility of your choice."

"What are my options?" David asked.

"The Bolmont Jail, or the Northern Callamandia Criminal Management Facility."

"I'm not going to wizard prison?" David asked, surprised.

"If you'd prefer that, I can arrange it..." the magistrate said with a grin.

"Um, no, sir, that's all right. I think I'd prefer the NCCMF, Your Honor."

"I had a feeling you would. We reserve slots in wizarding prison for truly heinous offenses."

"Yes, sir."

"Sentence is so ordered. Further, as is mandated in the law for any violent offender, you are also required to attend a two-week anger and aggression management seminar within ninety days of your release. You will be given more information about that after your prison sentence is served. Case closed."

Two Rimohrs showed up at David's side, to gently take him into custody. They led him into a room, where Jailla was waiting.

"Twenty-one days," David told him.

"That's not bad, considering," Jailla told him.

"Yeah. So... what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Jailla asked.

"You didn't commit the crime. You don't have to go to jail. You could stay up at the Animal Annex, if you wanted."

"You are my wizard," Jailla said. "Where you go, I go."

David nodded, and then turned to the officers. "I guess we're ready."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~

David had been settled into his cell at NCCMF for two full days when the call came in. He'd already seen and talked with Sam, and Cat had mirrored from the infirmary. Joe and Zyla had sent him a care package, and had promised to visit the following weekend. Other than that, no one knew where he was.

Except, apparently, now the dean knew.

"Call for you, Stroud," the guard said. He wheeled a large mirror in front of the cell door. In the glass was Dean Lengel.

"Mr. Stroud," she said. "I have been informed that you have been arrested and jailed for aggravated battery. Is this correct?"

David flinched at her tone. She hadn't called him "Mr. Stroud" in months. "Yes, ma'am."

Dean Lengel frowned. "When you get out of prison, I want you to come to my office, so that we can discuss your future here at the Academy."

"Yes, ma'am."

After a long moment of silence, she said, "I'm very disappointed in you, David." With that, she fogged off.

The guard wheeled away the mirror, and David shuffled slowly back to his bed. He sank down onto it, thinking over everything that had gone wrong this year. His closeness with Sam was gone, as well as the relationship he'd had with Miss J. His best friend had betrayed him to an enemy. Three of his closest schoolmates were heading off for new lives, and he might never see them again. He had been an idiot and failed his weapons-carry exam, and then, to top it all off, he had allowed his temper loose, and he'd landed himself in prison. He stared at the floor, knowing that he had probably destroyed his future at the school, possibly cost himself his professional standing with the guilds, and maybe even would have his chevrons revoked by the king.

But Emile's words to him were perhaps the most devastating of the lot. David heaved a great sigh of distress.

"God damn it."

~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~~≈≡≈~~
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