Lightning Hexagon - Chapter 1

"So. . . Muir, is it?" Carl said, his tone light and friendly. "Jilted by Sabra only last week, weren't you . . . we're all so sorry about that. You must keep in mind, though, that forgiving as she is, there's a limit to compassion. I mean, what woman would want a hog and an ass for in-laws?"

Jade laughed maliciously. Kiernan's eyes narrowed. "Speak for yourself, frog-spawn. Your parents must have paid Jamila a fortune, to get her in bed with you."

Jamila drew her wand from Air steadily, her unblinking gaze burning into Kiernan's eyes. "Would you like to see how I treat unwelcome visitors to my bed, Kiernan? Perhaps we shall let you join in our little game."

Muir drew his wand just in time to counter Jade's first curse. It shattered like glass, the splinters glowing red as they spun outward. They both threw up orb spheres to protect themselves, Jade forming hers to shelter Carl as well as herself. He had drawn his wand a moment later, and joined his friend to face Kier. Drawn by the sound and sparks, a crowd of novices came running to the scene. One of them formed a screen to protect the "audience", and from that relative safety, they cheered on the combatants. Kiernan's gaze shifted from Jade to Carl.

"Are you so cowardly that you need a woman to protect you, Vladimir? He feels insulted, so his whore comes running to protect him. . . how pathetic. Leave the girl out of it and fight like a man!!"

Jade glanced at Carl. He nodded slightly, and she moved to leave the field, backing away to avoid turning her back to them. Only when she had entered the protective screen did she let down her guard. The master mages would soon be here to break up the fight, but until they did, either boy was liable to blow the other to bits. At the seventh level, even twenty-one-year-old novices had the knowledge and potential to kill if necessary.

The Muir-Vladimir feud had been going on for years. Jade had known of it from the time she had started Training, at the age of thirteen. They simply hated each other, and since Jade was Carl's friend, his enemies were her enemies.

A roar went up from the watching crowd. Kier had drawn first blood, with a vicious firewhip curse. Blood was streaming down Carl's left arm, which he had thrown up to protect his face. The pain must have been dizzying, but he ignored it and retaliated with a spun net of Ice. Kiernan threw up his shields a moment too late, and the net clashed midair with the rising blue guards. The explosion was deafening, and both novices were thrown to the ground by the blast of piercing cold air that followed. The green orb protecting the onlookers shuddered and disappeared under the waves of Sith. Jade was shocked by the viciousness of Carl's net. The curse would have seriously maimed at the least, had it met its target. Muir had to have said something impossibly crude, to throw Carl out of control so quickly. The opponents slowly stood up to face each other again, and shields were raised to protect the awe-struck spectators.

Delicate brown strands of power now flickered in the palms of both novices, dancing like flames, so beautiful and deadly. The threads turned from brown to blue, shifting through various purple and violet shades as they strove to outshine each other. The light radiated by the raw power intensified until watchers began raising hands to shield their eyes from the blaze. It was hard to see whose flame was lighter in color, symbolizing more power.