The Deceiver | The Magicians

Chapter 15

Fifteen | You Can't Sit With Us

She thrashed against the body that restrained her, kicking out into the air, praying that she would strike something. Her screams were muffled by the bag thrown over her head, but she could hear the grunts of her captor as they tried to keep a hold on her. Whoever it was had wrapped their arms around her waist, pinning her arms down. That was a big mistake. 

Lilly gripped their arms with her hands, pulling herself into them and rotating her hips to the right. Her movements opened up a clear path to the spot that hurt the most and she didn't hesitate to slam her fist repeatedly into her attacker's groin. A painful cry sounded from behind her and the arms loosened their grip enough for her to pivot around and lock her hands behind the masked figure's neck and slam her knee full force between their legs. 

The person cried out, fully removing them self from the blonde. Lilly reached up, ripping the bag off her head and searching the room for any more assailants. Both masked figures were incapacitated. The one she hit over the head hadn't yet recovered and still held their head over by the bed. The one who attacked her from behind now rolled around on the ground, gripping their private parts.

"Dude, what the f**k is wrong with you?" One of them groaned. They didn't sound like a couple of murderers.

"Damn it Lilly! can't you see we're trying to haze you? God you ruin everything!" The one by the bed cried, pulling the golden mask off to reveal Kenna with a sizable bump on her forehead from where Lilly had smashed the bottle over her. She turned back to the one she beat up, realizing that it was actually just Nick, and not some minion of The Beast out to kill her. 

"Oh my god." Her eyes were wide as she moved to help them both up. "I am so sorry." They both glared at her, Nick still clutching his private parts in pain. 

"Just- come with us." Kenna sighed in resignation, completely dropping the kidnaping part of the hazing in favor of not getting decked. Lilly followed the two out of the castle and out into the student quad where she saw rows of first year students, all dressed in their pajamas and looking thoroughly pissed off. All of them were encircled in a ring of tiki torches. Nick guided her to the front of the group while Kenna split off to whisper with Margo who wore a magenta version of the cloaks Nick and Kenna had on. Nick placed Lilly in the front line between Penny and Alice, giving her a wary look.

"Just stay here and try not to beat anyone else up, okay?" He ordered, causing Lilly's cheeks to turn red with embarrassment.

"Again, so sorry." She whispered to him as he hobbled off to where the rest of the upperclassmen stood. Penny looked down at the blonde, his eyebrows raised and an amused smirk playing at the edge of his lips.

"Nice pajamas." He laughed, eyeing her strawberry printed pants. Lilly huffed in annoyance, folding her arms across her chest. She turned back to face the front just as an upperclassman wearing an emerald green cloak climbed atop a makeshift stage before them. He removed the golden mask with a flourish, revealing Eliot with a Cheshire cat grin and a condescending look in his eye. 

"Hello first years." He greeted, his voice gleeful. "At this appointed hour, as tradition dictates, it falls upon the upper class to administer what is known simply as..." He dipped into a low, over dramatic bow, "The Trials." He hopped down from the pedestal, taking the time to walk between each student, savoring the power he had over them. "The Trials test your ability to think and act like a Magician. Pass, your journey begins. Fail, you flunk out. This is a test engineered to thin out the heard. Only those who should, will survive." Eliot stopped in front of Lilly, staring intensely into her eyes. "Oh, nut up, this isn't Harvard. It requires actual effort. And don't bother to go complaining to the faculty. They're off on luxurious retreat, observing from a distance. You are ours, miscreants. Onward to glory!" Eliot screamed the last part theatrically, lifting the mask above his head and placing one hand over his heart. It was more than obvious that he was enjoying this. 

As soon as he finished his speech, the first years found themselves being corralled towards one of the many buildings and into the front hall where they were made to stand in line and check in. Lilly caught Dani's eye from across the room, sharing a nervous smile of encouragement. Lilly was called forward by an upper-class healer, to whom she gave her name and received a note card with the words 'The Plastics' printed on the front. 

"Report to the table on your placard. Next!" Lilly was shooed off into the classroom, set up with many small tables, each holding a lit candle and a large hourglass in the middle. She scanned the room, spotting Quentin and Penny at a table named 'Horny Chupacabra's', Alice at the 'Fish Punchers table', and Kady and Dani across the room, too far away for Lilly to read their placard. They all looked intensely irritated by their placement and the blonde was grateful hers was less brutal. 

Lilly slid into her seat, groaning when she realized who else was at her table. Ava Westmore, Lilly's Ex-Roommate and complete pain in the ass, rolled her eyes in distaste when she saw the blonde arrive at their table. Lilly introduced herself to Maisie, a straight haired, blonde, Psychic with bright blue eyes and perfectly manicured fingernails. Lilly immediately understood why their table was called The Plastics. Ava was bitchy enough to fill that quota for all three of them.

"In 18th century England, a secret society known as 'The Brethren' encrypted hundreds of spells to hide them from the church. You may open your blue books." Lilly flipped open the book, "Each team must decode and cast their spell by 9:00 a.m. Screw up, and it's back to page one. FYI, this test is pretty much impossible. Begin!" Lilly sighed at Eliot's not-so encouraging words, looking down at her booklet. 

The spell was nothing but a bunch of nonsense. The words were mostly in Latin with a bit of English and a couple of symbols mixed in. After about two hours of frustration and lots of bickering between Ava and Lilly, the three girls were able to distinguish the first half of the spell. 

"Pro atomic radii: atomic radii crescit. A group descendit more industria campester...This is just nonsense. It's not even a complete sentence!" Ava groaned, reading part of the not yet decoded spell out to them. Lilly was trying to stay calm, but with the hourglass draining much quicker than anticipated, she was starting to panic. 

"Well we know that it has palladium in it, liquid sunlight, and Deloridine. That might suggest it's some sort of heating spell." Lilly thought, speaking out loud to the others.

"Maybe it's the spell for creating an artificial sun?" Maisie suggested, not bothering to look up from her own blue book. Ava shook her head.

"No, that requires U.V rays and I don't see that anywhere. Ugh! This is impossible. Eliot said it himself."

"Eliot said it was pretty much impossible. Not impossible. There has to be a way to figure this out." Maisie mumbled. Lilly scanned the page once more for anything she might have missed. She must have overlooked something. She couldn't fail now. She made it this far at Brakebills. She wasn't about to give up and throw away her life of magic. The three women were silent, each racking their brain for anything that might help them. This was such a classic Brakebills move. Put something completely impossible in front of them just to watch them squirm. Wait a second...

"What if we aren't actually supposed to solve it? Eliot said that the trials tested our abilities to think and act like a Magician. Guys, I think they want us to cheat. That's what a Magician would do." The other two looked up in surprise, varying looks of confusion written on their faces. 

"That's ridiculous!" Maisie protested, "Of course we aren't supposed to cheat. Right?" She looked between Ava and Lilly for confirmation, but the brunette was deep in thought.

"It would make sense. I mean, think about it, Magicians have never been the type to play fair. It's pretty much written in the history books that they do whatever it takes to get what they want. No matter the means. I mean we have magic for f***s sake. It doesn't make much of a difference anyway. At this rate we're already getting kicked out." Ava looked at Lilly with an expression that Lilly might have thought was respect. Might have. "Maybe you aren't completely dimwitted after all." Lilly ignored the backhanded compliment. 

The more she thought about it, the more Lilly was convinced it was the right path. Part of her was appalled that she was resorting to such measures. The part of her that had lived in the mortal world and was trained in her many private schools never to cheat in a million years. But, this wasn't the mortal world and the part of her that was a Magician, knew what they had to do. Lilly and Ava shared a look, before turning their attention to Maisie, who still seemed hesitant. The psychic sighed in defeat.

"Fine." She grumbled and they immediately began plotting their next course of action. 

"Maisie, how strong are the upperclassmen's mental wards? Do you think you can read their minds?" Maisie's brows creased in concentration for a moment and the other two waited anxiously. She shook her head lightly.

"They're all pretty much air tight. I can't break through." Lilly bit her lip thoughtfully, trying to think of something else.

"Lilly, you're an Illusionist. Have you learned the vertigo charm yet?" Ava inquired, to which Lilly nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "And you can shift?" She nodded again, bringing a smile to the brunette's face that promised mischief. "Then I know what to do." The three allies whispered amongst each other, careful not to let the others overhear. Ava laid out the plan and Lilly had to admit, it was clever. The hourglass was getting lower and they each prayed they would be able to pull this off. None of them were prepared to go back to their lives before magic. 

Lilly waited until she saw the third year Healing student walk into the hallway before she and Ava followed after, claiming to be taking a bathroom break. They pushed through the doors, watching as the girl turned into the restroom. They quickly hurried after her. They both stood in front of the mirror pretending to fix their hair and splash water of their faces. It took a few moments for the girl to emerge from one of the stalls and move between them to wash her hands. Lilly watched from the corner of her eye, pretending to be absorbed in her own reflection. The girl straightened, reaching for a paper towel. 

"Excuse me?" Lilly smiled sweetly, gaining the woman's attention. "Sorry, I don't mean to bother you I just- you have something stuck in your hair." The girl quickly turned to look in the mirror, turning every which way, trying to find what Lilly was talking about.

"Where?" She asked, trying to pull the back of her hair around to the front so she could see. 

"It's in the back. Do you mind if I-" Lilly gestured towards her hair, asking for permission to help. 

"Please." The girl smiled gratefully. Lilly moved closer, moving her hands behind the girl's head, pretending to pick something out. Unbeknownst to the girl, Lilly was actually casting a quick charm behind her. The blonde messed around with her hair, just to make her believe she was doing what she said she was. She pulled away, flinging an invisible piece of paper across the room. "What was it?'

"Oh, just a piece of paper. You're good." Lilly smile was fake, but no one would ever be able to tell. She felt a little guilty for what was about to happen. 

"Thank you! Good luck on your exam." She said, turning to leave, but stumbling sideways into the wall. "Woah. I don't feel so-" She slid down, her face paling considerably. Ava rushed over to her, gipping her under the arms and dragging her into the largest stall. Lilly followed, closing the door behind them. As soon as they were concealed, she pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket, kneeling down in front of the dazed woman. She pressed the thin edge against her finger, slicing it open and letting the spot of blood drip onto her open palm. 

She breathed deeply, trying to remember what she'd learned during her lessons with Eliza. The tingling took over and Lilly pushed her own DNA out, replacing it with the girl's. She knew it worked by the way Ava looked at her. She didn't look too impressed, but the way her eyes widened just a fraction, told Lilly what she needed to know. Lilly quickly grabbed the cloak and clothes from the girl, completing her disguise. 

"Don't mess this up." Ava deadpanned.

"Right back at you."

The partners nodded towards each other before Lilly turned on her heel and left, barely glancing at her new face as she passed the mirror. She kept her head high as she entered the testing room. No one spared her a glace. Everyone was too preoccupied with trying to figure out their spells. Everyone except for Maisie, who watched slyly from their table, knowing that this particular student was not who she appeared to be. Lilly glided between the other teams, sparing a few glances to see how far everyone else had gotten. Most seemed to be stuck right around where her team was, some hadn't even gotten that far. Penny and Quentin were both gone from their table and Lilly wondered if they had figured out what she had. Knowing Penny, he probably resorted to cheating long before Lilly's team had. 

A few other upperclassmen circulated through the room, peeking over the test taker's shoulders to see their progress. Eliot stood behind the desk at the front of the room, surveying his subjects like a king. Lilly's eyes immediately fell to the binder in front of him. She needed to see inside it. She had no idea how she was actually going to get there without raising suspicion. Lilly moved to stand beside the desk, an amused smile worn like a mask. 

"How are our little first years doing?" Eliot drawled, looking over at her from behind the desk. 

"They're like baby deer trying to stand." Lilly laughed at the misfortune of her fellow classmates, just like the upperclassmen would. To her relief, Eliot didn't seem to find anything off about her behavior. 

"Oh, how I love to watch them struggle." They both moved their gaze to the door as it swung open. Penny and Quentin returned, sitting back down and whispering amongst themselves. Eliot grinned mischievously, grabbing the edge of his cloak. "If you'll excuse me, I have some children to torment. Watch over the Book of Wisdom, will you?" Lilly couldn't have asked for a better way in. She waited till he was a few feet away before she moved to take his spot. Lilly scanned the room for any prying eyes. Only finding Maisie watching. The blonde quickly flipped the binder open, skipping over the first few pages to find what she was looking for. 

The moment she saw the answer she could have broken out in song. She periodically made sure no one was watching, taking in every detail of what they needed to do. When she finished, Lilly quietly shut the book, making sure it was exactly the way she found it. She gave no indication to Maisie that she succeeded, not wanting anyone to put the pieces together. The hourglass on the desk in front of her had less than a quarter left of sand and Lilly tried to move as quickly as possible towards the hallway without raising any alarms. She heard Margo call out a name from behind her. Eliot was moving back to the desk, completely unaware of what had just occurred. Margo called out again. No one responded. Lilly didn't bother to turn around and see what was going on. She had to get back to Ava. 

"Olivia." Margo called again. "Olivia." Her voice was getting more irritated and Lilly spared a glance over her shoulder to find Margo staring right at her. Lilly's heart dropped. The girl Lilly body snatched must be named Olivia. "Olivia." Margo said once more, catching up to Lilly. "What's wrong with you? I called your name like ten times!" Despite her shaken state, Lilly lied as smoothly as ever.

"Sorry, I must have zoned out. What's up?" Margo gave her an odd look but shook it off.

"Can you put this on the table in the front? It's for tomorrow." Lilly nodded, taking the folder from Margo's hands and turning back to go through the doors. She let out a sigh of relief as soon as she was out of sight. She thought for sure she'd been caught. She scurried over to the front table, dropping the folder onto it and returning to the bathroom where she called out Ava's name in a harsh whisper. The large stall swung open and Lilly quickly entered, stripping off the red robe and grabbing her own clothes from Ava's hands. Oliva was puking into the toilet, Ava holding back her hair with as few fingers as possible, her body angled away in disgust.

"Please tell me you got it.?"

"Of course." Lilly confirmed, pulling her hair out from where it had gotten stuck between the tank top and her back. She turned back to her own body as she changed, knowing that if they stayed away for much longer the upperclassmen would start to get suspicious. They both gave Olivia a look and Lilly went up behind her, casting the counter charm for the vertigo. She would have been way too disoriented to realize what actually happened to her. She'd probably think she had food poisoning. It didn't really matter. By the time she came back to her senses, they would both be back in the testing room.

"let's go ace this exam." As soon as they returned to their seats, they set off grinding ingredients and casting the necessary enchantments. "It's an eternal flame spell. We just have to make sure that when they drop in a match, this stuff keeps burning." In order for the spell to work, they needed three Magicians to cast a binding spell on the ingredients. Hence why there were groups of three. They all joined hands, finishing up the last step. They finished with only a small sliver of sand left in the hourglass. Eliot had stopped at Quentin and Penny's table to inspect their work. The bowl lit up exactly as it should have. Unfortunately, the third member of their group didn't make the cut. 

"Well, well, well." Margo hovered over Lilly's table, peering into the bowl assessing their work. "Why don't you kids show me what you've done here." Margo handed Ava a box of matches and the brunette willingly obliged, swiping the match across the side of the box and dropping the flame into their bowl. The flame shot up immediately in shades of green and red. Margo nodded approvingly, clapping her hands slowly. "Very good little ones. I must say I'm impressed. The use of Lilly's powers to sneak a look at the answer sheet. Pure genius." Maisie's smile fell, though Lilly and Ava kept their faces void of any reaction. They were each expecting a one-way ticket out of there. "Congratulations Ladies. On to the second trial." They sighed in relief. They had all passed. 

"We did it!" Maisie screeched, hopping up from her chair and squeezing the life out of both Lilly and Ava. Lilly smiled at her partners. 

"Well...Not you." Margo frowned at Maisie, waving her hand in the girl's direction. The third member of their group disappeared into thin air. "All she did was sit on her ass." Margo chuckled, moving along to the next table. Lilly and Ava were both equally startled.

"At least she stopped hugging me." Ava grumbled, getting up to leave.

They had completed the first trial together. Now they had to do it all again. They weren't out of the woods yet. They had to endure two more trials before they were safe. She couldn't go back to her life before. So, Lilly would not allow herself the luxury of failure.