home

search

Chapter 10 - Not Everything is As It Seems

  "Control. It is the one thing that separates us from others. Why is that?"

  The teacher paced around the room, looking at each of the students. Dyani kept to the back of the room and wrote down everything as best as possible. Books were scattered across the table. Papers and pens took up a fair few of those essential spots. There was one even in her hair. Beside her was Kavan, who had a scowl on his face. He was leaning back against the chair with his arms crossed over his chest. The teacher was no better, shooting glares at the studious girl.

  Dyani had surged ahead within the last few weeks and Britt had pushed her into the highest level of Control class she could go, with all the others being Apprentice level. It was a sore spot for some, considering that she had yet to show that she had control of her magic. Classes were mainly theory rather than practical at the moment. Those that were usually needed to have such an obvious method of seeing control.

  Kira Stirling raised her hand, nasally voice grating on Dyani's nerves. "Control over our emotions means control over Magic."

  Dyani wanted to roll her eyes and scoff, but doing so would draw attention to her. Not something that she wanted to happen, let alone on this particular subject.

  "Do you have something you wish to contribute, Miss Dyani?"

  Dammit. Her inability to keep her opinions to herself.

  Dyani sighed, "No, sir."

  "There is a contrasting opinion. Do tell us your thoughts," there was an underlying tone of mocking her.

  Dyani clenched her teeth while looking up from her stack of notes and books. Beside her, Kavan had shifted forward so that his hands were braced his legs with white knuckles. She could see him tense up from the corner of her eye. That was enough to alert her to be cautious of what she had to say.

  "I think that it is not wise to think that control is the important aspect of working with magic."

  There were mutters, both in confusion and outrage. Kira scoffed, turning to her, "What would you know of magic? You've been here less than a year. We've been around for thousands of years. What makes you believe your thoughts about magic when you don't know a thing about it? We've always been taught control over emotions is control over magic. To control magic is the top priority as it means that you are in control of yourself."

  "Well said, Miss Stirling."

  Dyani rolled her eyes again and sat back, deciding it was best to keep her mouth shut and head down. The class moved on without much fanfare beyond the teacher asking the students questions. Dyani was suitably ignored and that was how she preferred it. Kavan was still tense next to her. Without thought, she touched his back, rubbing his shoulders for a moment.

  That brought him down in a calmer state, and he returned to his original position of leaning back against the chair. It went without saying, but Dyani knew the question had touched something sensitive. They just needed to have the bell ring and then they could make their way to the other class. At least, it was the last two classes and then she would spend the rest of the day in the library studying while the others went to their last class after dinner.

  Tension broke when the bell rang and Dyani shoved her materials into her bag to catch up with Kavan. Her hand caught his elbow and he slowed down to look at her.

  "Are you okay?"

  Kavan stared at her momentarily before shaking his head, "No. I hate classes like that."

  Dyani waited for him to continue, hiking her bag further up her shoulder. His gaze was filled with repressed anger as Kira and her gaggle twittered with one another down the hall. Kavan's jaw clenched and the muscles rippled before he huffed a breath of frustration. One hand raked through his hair and he turned his gaze back to her.

  "People like Kira and the teacher are a disgrace to magic. They believe in magic and their ability to control it, rather than magic is a gift."

  "Oh," Dyani's eyes widened. "They were born into the Light mindset."

  Kavan's hand shot out and covered her mouth with a look of panic. The crowd moved around them, only giving weird looks at their position. Kavan pushed her until her back hit the opposite wall. He was much taller than her and Dyani felt the heat rise as he leaned in close. Younger or not, he was still a very striking man.

  "Do not speak of it here." He dropped his hand from her mouth and pushed away from her. Kavan looked everywhere but at her, but his words were directed at her. "I do not know where you heard or learned of it, but if you want to keep yourself out of trouble, never speak of it again here."

  Without waiting for her to respond, Kavan walked down the hall towards his next class. There was a moment where he glanced back at her before continuing. Dyani gripped the strap of her bag tight. Kira and her group were looking in her direction before whispering with one another. The hair on the back of Dyani's neck rose and she bolted from that hallway before the bitch crew could start something. Dyani was already on the Headmistress' lousy side for the moment. Getting into a fight would not be beneficial at any time.

  Ethics class was just as bad as it had been in college, except that the magic version included Government and law in theirs. It was the single most boring class but one of the ones that she needed to pay attention to the most. Not only to become familiar with the laws and beliefs she was now governed under but also because they could be her ticket to leaving this world when she finished. At least without getting into too much trouble. Forget being horrible; it was dull and mind-numbing. Dyani almost wished she was back in the college Ethics class. At least it was engaging with dialogue. Here, things were accepted as fact and there were no debates.

  By the time she reached the American Magical History class, Dyani was ready to be done for the day. No more lectures on the past or things that she did not see as important in her progress of catching up. Kavan only shared the Control class. Otherwise, Dyani was left alone without any of the others in her friend group.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Being moved into that class had been a lucky fluke. At least in her mind, it was. Britt disagreed with her and was adamant that she belonged there due to her recent surge in understanding the material. Practical application was her weakness and the only reason she had yet to test out of it.

  That was one of the bonuses of working with Britt one-to-one, like her schedule. He was testing her out of subjects once she passed the exams she needed to. Most teachers graded the tests to help prevent anyone from crying favoritism.

  Sitting in the back of the classroom was the most strategic placement. She could spread all her materials as needed and the others in the class were in front of her rather than behind. Paranoid, she knew, but it was for good reason. Some had not taken her advancement well and attacks had happened when her back was turned. Britt was furious each time she ended up in the Healing Ward.

  Dyani snapped out of her thoughts as the bell rang, signaling the class's start. Books snapped open and papers rustled as notebooks were opened. The teacher was an older woman who walked with a slight hunch. Dyani wondered if her age was closer to some of these events since the retelling about the wars and people was a little too detailed.

  That would mean that she was a few hundred years old, even though Dyani knew that a few beings could reach thousands of years in age. She shook her head when the woman began her lecture on the wars. These wars, in particular, were centered around the Great Divide. Dyani wrote as fast as she could, knowing she could reference this later from some supplemental texts.

  "The Great Divide occurred close to two thousand years ago. Wars were more frequent. Not just between the humans but between the different races of beings. Magical beings that walked among us. You should have learned much of this in your other history classes, but I wanted to focus on the wars that centered in the Americas. Can anyone tell me the war that started America’s involvement?"

  Dyani sucked in a breath, realizing that there was a difference in history. At least what she read about the Great Divide and the lecture the woman was teaching. This particular book had come from Britt's collection. According to that book, the Great Divide occurred worldwide rather than in stages. There was not a singular event that caused the magical beings to retreat from the human world. Although many countries were not involved until its last part, there was no singular event. Dyani listened curiously to what the teacher had to say.

  A girl raised her hand and answered, "It was the Siege of Elves."

  "Very good, Miss Crosen. The Siege of Elves began on the American continent and focused on what is now considered Central America. While the nonmagical follow different countries, there were no divisions between the Americas at the time. This is why the magical world has remained the same instead of dividing into countries like the mundanes have."

  Dyani sat back in disbelief. There was no Siege of Elves, and the Americas had been formed through other means. There were no country divisions like the nonmagical side because the leaders of each decided that the Americas were stronger as a single unit than apart. Relations and trading were more beneficial. The Siege of Elves was different from an event that had been listed in the book from Britt's library.

  Taking note, Dyani scribbled down the lecture as best as she could. It was one thing for her to know differences in history, but for the magical world to have two different versions was a bit much. The Goddess had warned her about things being altered than what was being taught, but Dyani had not realized that it went further than belief. It was the very history and teachings that the humans were spreading. It was no wonder that the Goddess felt trapped and chained. The humans were convoluting the history.

  The bell rang and Dyani was one of the first out of the room. There was a general rush to get to dinner but she had a mission to reach Britt before he left his office. Slamming the office door open, Dyani was faced with a shocked Britt. She closed the door with a rough snap and waved her hand for privacy. Britt raised an eyebrow but wove privacy wards around the room and activated a few more that were anchored to strategically placed devices.

  "The Siege of Elves? Really? What are they teaching here?"

  "I see that you've had an interesting History class. Would you like to sit before we go to dinner?"

  Dyani dropped her bag to the floor next to the desk before flopping down. She huffed and crossed her arms, "Britt, your books say one thing, and the old biddy is saying another. Especially with events I have not read about, even with books on the subject."

  "Old biddy?"

  "That's all you have to say?" Dyani asked incredulously.

  Britt sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Dyani, I know we've had this discussion before. There are things that they do not want you to know. Things that go against the material they teach the rest of the school. The Siege of Elves and the Divide are only a few such things. Keep your head down. Keep reading the books that I've lent you. Most of all, Dyani, you must learn the differences and what they want you to spout back to them."

  Dyani threw her hands up, "Britt, how in the hell am I supposed to keep all this straight?"

  "How do you keep the nonmagical history and magical apart?"

  "Easily," Dyani shrugged.

  "There you have it, treat it like it's a different history."

  Dyani stared at him and dropped down into a chair. Britt sat on the corner of his desk and sighed, "I know it's hard for you here, Dyani, and having to deal with the extra information between different beliefs. You've done so remarkably in these past few months."

  "I've done fine. Thank you very much."

  "Don't get smart with me. You know I meant it." Britt stood up and kneeled in front of the chair. "Do you need a break from all the studying? I worry about you. This hasn't helped with that worry either."

  She covered his hand, "I am fine, Britt. Stressed but fine. Truly."

  He narrowed his eyes at her, watching for a moment before nodding his head.

  "Promise me that you will take time off if you need it. You've been overworking yourself."

  Black locks shifted when she nodded before being tucked behind an ear, "I promise."

  "Good, then take your time learning the material. Do you need more notebooks to keep things in line?"

  Dyani shook her head, "No. I should be good until the new year."

  Britt stood up and opened the door. He gestured for her to go through and they made their way down to the dinner hall.

  "Let me know if you need anything from me with more supplies or books."

  "There is a library here, you know."

  Britt rolled his eyes, "You know what I meant."

  There was a clearing of the throat and both turned to see the Headmistress waiting for them at the end of the hallway where her office was located.

  "Could I speak with you for a moment, Master Briggens?"

  Dyani raised an eyebrow at him and he shooed her off towards the dining hall. With a nod, Dyani turned and pulled out her PMA to message the others.

  Dyani: On my way. Are you at our table?

  Noemi: Yes. Make out with Britt yet?

  Mari: Noemi!

  Noemi: What? You wanted to know, too!

  Caleb: No, we did not need that image. Thanks.

  Kavan: Just get down here. Want me to order for you?

  Dyani: Please? Headmistress waylaid Britt. I'll wait for him.

  Kavan: Chicken Parmigiana again?

  Dyani: Ohh, you know me too well.

  Noemi: You order it every day that it appears.

  Dyani: So it's a comfort food. Sue me.

  Mari: We'll see you soon. Hurry up with lover boy.

  Dyani: MARI!

  She clicked it off just in time for Britt to round the corner.

  "I thought you went ahead."

  Dyani rolled her eyes, "No. I waited here for you in case you needed backup."

  Britt cut her off, "I think we should change your schedule up a bit."

  Dyani gave him an odd look before the Headmistress came around the corner. She caught on.

  "Really? That may be a good idea. I'm struggling a bit and want to stay caught up. What did you have in mind?"

  Britt offered her his arm, which she took. They walked behind the Headmistress until they reached the hall and he guided her to her usual table.

  "We can talk more in my office after dinner."

  The popular professor glided away, leaving Dyani chuckling in amusement. It only got worse when she caught sight of some of the older girls swooning in his wake.

Recommended Popular Novels