Dark Blade

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Meikah didn’t have time to look in her sister’s direction to see why she’d screamed. The spirit attacked, driving her back with each swing of his sword. Ena’s sword felt unfamiliar. Anger at the academy’s rule that student’s couldn’t carry weapons until they passed their first year rushed through her. Their stupid rule was likely to get her killed. Not that she knew what she could have done even if she’d been using a familiar sword. The warrior was a lot more skilled than her. What had she been thinking?

“You won’t change anything,” the spirit warned. “Once I’ve killed you, I’ll kill the one who screamed and then the man I was originally summoned to kill. Along with any others who might get in my way.”

“Not today.” She didn’t want to die. Or let her sister die either. She swung again. Lightning crawled along her sword as it collided with the other weapon. Shock momentarily froze her in place. A shout got her moving again.

“Throw yourself to the left.”

She had no idea why she obeyed the shouted words. More than likely it was the sword coming towards her. Possibly the shock at seeing magic flood along the blade of her sword. She landed hard on the cobblestones, turning so she could face the spirit.

Before he could attack, a flaming dagger pierced his body. The spirit barely had time to look down at his chest before his body exploded in light, the dagger clattering to the cobblestones, the flames extinguished.

Behind her, Meikah could hear her sister screaming at her to get to her feet. Ahead of her was the sound of running footsteps coming closer. It took her a few seconds to realise Ena believed the spirit was still there. She hadn’t seen him disappear.

“Are you all right?” Kellen held out a hand.

It was a few seconds before she was able to take it. “I don’t know.” Once she was on her feet, she looked at her sister’s sword she continued to hold. The blade seemed normal. She was unharmed, but that didn’t mean she was all right. She could do magic? It felt like the world tilted. She couldn’t do magic. It wasn’t possible.

Kellen’s companion joined them. “What happened?”

Meikah met his dark blue eyes, which were almost purple in colour, before she glanced around. “I’m not sure.” It all felt like a dream. A really bad dream.

“Are you hurt?” Kellen looked her up and down.

Meikah realised she continued to hold his hand. She let go, shaking her head, staring into his dark brown eyes. Not physically. She couldn’t bring herself to say those words aloud.

Kellen looked past her. “Then I’ll leave you to it before your sister reaches us. Sorry to say, but your sister is annoying. Worse than mine.” He grinned before sauntering off, his companion following him.

Ena stopped beside her. “What is going on?”

Meikah held the sword out to her sister, not bothering to answer. If she was lucky, no one had seen the lightning dance along the blade. She couldn’t be a necromancer. No one in her family had ever been one.

“Well?” Ena sheathed the sword.

Meikah looked away, her gaze drawn to where the spirit had been killed. The dagger was gone. She glanced around. It was nowhere. All she could see were people staring back at her, talking quietly amongst themselves. She dreaded knowing what they said.

“Are you listening to me?” Ena demanded.

Meikah gave a half shrug, guessing that telling her sister ‘no’ wouldn’t be a good idea. “Let’s go home.”

“That’s what I keep saying. You haven’t heard a word I’ve said.”

She strode beside Ena, glancing over her shoulder at the crowd that continued to gather, one of the women pointing in her direction. She pressed her hand against her pocket to find the parchment was unharmed. A glance at her sister showed she’d probably notice if she tried to get rid of it.

“Well?”

Meikah gave another half shrug, not having paid any attention to what Ena had said.

“Kellen might have gone to the Spell Sword Academy, but it’s all the same. If you fail your first year at the Templar Academy you’ll end up like him.”

The sound of his laughter echoed in her mind followed by the image of his grin. A smile began to form. She suppressed it.

“Don’t laugh about it.” Ena grabbed her by the arm and pulled her onto the paved footpath, out of the way of three horses that raced past them, heading in the same direction they were going. “Grandad Maksim would be appalled if you failed. Especially after all the time he’s spent helping you train.”

“Kellen didn’t fail. He was thrown out.” It had been the talk of the town last year. “And Grandad Maksim wouldn’t be disappointed. Only Grandad Harlen would be.”

“They both would be.”

Recognising her sister’s tone, Meikah didn’t bother arguing. She also didn’t bother listening to what her sister said, staring at the corner that was coming closer. They were nearly home. She pressed her hand against her pocket, a glance at her sister. She’d lost all chances to get rid of the results. Not that it would have done little more than postpone the inevitable. She had probably failed.

Images of the exam came to mind. She tried to push them aside. They flooded her mind and she saw herself drop her sword over and over again. The worst start possible for the first fight of her exam. The entire academy would probably be talking about it for weeks. Or months. Although after today, they were more likely to be whispering the word necromancer. It couldn’t be possible. Somehow it had to be a mistake. Her family were templars.

“Meikah. Pay attention.”

About to demand ‘what’ she realised she’d almost walked past the corner. Turning, she froze when she saw the three horses tied to the post at the front of their house. Dread settled over her. Recognising one of the horses, her heart sank. It belonged to a trainer at the Templar Academy. Surely she hadn’t failed that badly.

Ena stopped a few steps ahead of her, falling silent for a moment. “You shouldn’t have done it.”

“Done what?”

“Attacked the spirit.” Ena paused a moment. “Used magic.”

There went her hope that no one had noticed the lightning. “The man would have been dead.”

Ena faced her. “Better he died than you become a necromancer.”

“How can you say that?” She slowly shook her head. “You can’t mean it.”

“You’re such a child. Our parents shouldn’t have babied you so much.”

Meikah didn’t bother arguing the words. She knew they weren’t true. Neither of them had been babied. “He would have died.”

“I know.” Ena gestured towards their house. “But it’d be better than what you’ll have to face now.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I? Then why are you standing here instead of going home?”

She looked past Ena to the horses, unable to take a step towards them. It wasn’t fear of being accused a necromancer that kept her standing there. Her hand brushed across her pocket, the parchment still there. She’d trained her entire life to become a templar.

“Well?”

She barely managed not to sigh. “A man lived. That is better.” She forced herself to walk past her sister.

“We’ll see.”

She didn’t bother to reply. Her sister would argue the colour of the sky.

“You know they’ll send another spirit after him. Necromancers are like that. They can keep sending spirits until the person is dead.”

Her breath caught in her throat and she stumbled. “They’ll assign him a guard.”

“No. He didn’t look wealthy enough that anyone would bother. He’ll be dead within the week. Probably by tomorrow.”