Strike 1

K’Juanxie

I startle from my dreams when I hear the train conductor announce that we’ve arrived at our final destination. Finally. Stepping out of my car, I navigate my way through the busy platform toward the exit of the station. I haven’t been outside of Lycaria—let alone off Capkin lands—in years. Ever since Mom’s death when I was five years old, my dad, along with my sisters’ biological fathers had decided to keep us under the strictest of protection. While as an adult, I understand the necessity and fear behind the decision, I still wish my connection with my sisters wasn’t as strained as it is.

Magian children, specifically those of a multiple birth, like my sisters and myself, are meant to grow together. Just as we’d shared a womb, our mana is also a shared entity, to an extent. I haven’t spent more than a short time at Celestra Esstate for the Nexian Unity Summit that’s held every 5 years.

Suffice it to say, I’ve seen my sisters all of twice since the night The Occult attacked our home and broke us apart.

That all changes today. Amieka, Treice, and I are finally of age to attend Magian Academy of Arcane and Esoteric Mastery. I’d just traveled fifteen hours from our pack lands to Ashen Hallow—the closest portal ingress to Aurenspire—and am only a few minutes away from seeing my sisters. Though we’d kept in touch via phone and video calls, there’s nothing like the physical connection of being in another being’s presence.

And I miss them dearly.

Stepping out into the raising sun, morning light cresting just over Emberglow Peak like a halo, I take in my surroundings. Ashen Hallow is a beautiful village in one of the valleys of Manaforge Mountain Range. To my right, I see the entrance to the Manaflux Hot Springs and Resort—a place where one can replenish and rejuvenate their mana. Across from the resort, there’s an outlet mall of sorts where mundane and mystic beings, alike, can shop to their hearts’ content. Although Ashen Hallow is an ordine village, you could throw a rock into the crowd and find a mystic, whether mage or shifter. It’s the same at every Manaforge peak within Valkathra.

“Yo,” comes the familiar voice of my best friend, Gentry as he saddles up beside me. He’d graciously taken the long manarail trip with me and will be staying in Aurenspire. Gentry is a mageri lyca, and being five years older than myself, already attended and graduated from Mageri Academy. So he’d rented an apartment close to campus—as all guardians like my trusty minder generally do—and will be continuing his duties in protecting me. The dads, after the attack, had become somewhat paranoid—with good reason, of course—about our safety, so we were all assigned a guardian [all titled based off their shifter culture] for the rest of our lives. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. Our fathers, with the help of a pretty powerful wiccan mage, magianly bound each of us with a highly trusted being. We each have a rune tattooed—with magia, because who the hell would use a needle on a six-year-old—on our right shoulder that represents the protector\charge relationship.

I turn my head slightly toward him, so he’d know he got my attention. “You just gonna stand hear and sightsee? Or are you ready to get a move on to your destiny?” I produce a very unladylike snort. Gentry had been going on non-stop about my sister’s and my “destiny”. I call bullshit, but he insists that we’re meant for something big. I just want to claim my birthright as the Alpha of The Capkin Pack. To bring equality within our lycan lands. To make my father—and mother—proud. My biological father, Jabari Capkin, died last year of a heart attack. Generally unheard of in the mystic community, let alone shifters, but apparently, he’d died of a broken heart… Thirteen years after my mother’s death, mind you.

Dad’s sudden passing left my uncle Regent in charge, since was under age. Although I’m now seventeen, Uncle Regent and the elders decided it best that I graduate from MA before taking on the role of Alpha. Never mind that I’d been groomed my entire life to run the pack and have a better understanding of the dynamics than anyone there. But I digress.

I finally spot the Sentinel ingress station and start toward it without answering Gentry, knowing he’d follow. As I step up to the box-like structure the Sentinel apprentice is sitting in, I ponder more over Gentry’s words of destiny. I guess I could believe that something greater than my own understanding may be in my future. Just the fact alone that our family had been targeted gives some credence to the idea. “Good morning,” the young man that can’t be much older than myself says from square cut-out of the booth he resides in with a bright—way too obviously fake—smile. “Where to?” He asks, holding up a stylus and tablet, ready to jot down our answer.

“Aurenspire,” Gentry answers before I can utter a sound. I roll my eyes. He always does that. “Magian Academy – Central, aye?” The young apprentice states with a more genuine smile gracing his lips. “I can tell just by lookin’ at ya that you’re a powerful mageri lyca.” I try not to roll my eyes again. Everyone assumes that I’m a mageri lyca, but I’m not. I’m a hybrid; a wicca/lyca hybrid, to be exact. My lyca doesn’t have mage capabilities like mageri lycan do. My magian abilities stem specifically from my wiccan side, from my mother. I don’t bother correcting the guy, though. It’s too exhausting to explain the difference every time somebody gets it wrong. Which is way more often than I care to count.

Guessing dude got the hint from my silence, he moved on. “Beta Sentinel Jerrico is just finishing up with his last portal traveler. Will either of you be needing baggage portalled as well?” He asks, looking over the counter to see if he can spot any bags. He won’t. Gentry’s aether magia is a godssend. It is one of his strongest magian abilities, even though it’s strictly esoteric, Gentry was able to master aether pockets using his air element. It’s one of the most difficult magian abilities to grasp, let alone master.

“We’re all good,” I say, as I step away from the old ticket-booth looking check-in station and toward the entrance of the portal house. I think he says, “have a nice trip”, but I was already through the doors and can’t be too sure.

The inside of the Ashen Hollow ingress is a testament to it’s location. The village is set at the base of Emberglow Peak of the Manaforge Mountain Range. There’s fire and volcanic-like domes throughout the entirety of the village, and ingress is decorated with murals of the same. Despite the hot nature of the locale, the building we’re in is chilled. I’d noticed that the deeper we walk down the decorative hall, the cooler it gets.

Curious.

When we finally reach our destination, I spot a being whose aura exudes such calmness—balance—they can only be the Sentinel of this region. From what I remember in my studies back home, Sentinels are chosen Ordine beings that are gifted with just enough magia to guard a manaflux, such as the one I’d seen upon my arrival to this place. The Sentinel, Jerrico, I presume, genially smiles at us as we near him. “Aurenspire, correct?” He asks, and lords have mercy on my darkened soul, his voice is like windchimes in the breeze of paradise. Too bad active Sentinels are sworn to abstinence. He could definitely get it.

Gentry’s chuckle interrupts my drooling, and I shoot him a scathing look, muttering, “shut it,” under my breath. “Yes,” I say, in belated answer to Jerrico’s question. He smiles, indulgently before he turns and gestures toward one of two portals. Jerrico stops next to the portal on the right, stating, “This portal will take you directly to the Hub in Aurenspire. From there, you will need to take a cab to the Highpeak ingress and take the Magian Academy of Arcane and Esoteric Mastery—“don’t know why he had to say that mouthful of a name, but sure—"portal in order to enter the school.” After Gentry and I nod our understanding, Jerrico continues. “Is this your first time portaling?” I nod while Gentry shakes his head indicating that he had. Jerrico brings his attention to me and says, “As this is your first time traveling by Sentinel portal, I shall inform you that you will feel a great discomfort. No pain,” he quickly adds as he can no doubt see the small seed of panic that had been planted. “Just a discomfort.”

“Think of it as being smothered by a pillow,” Gentry helpfully adds, which makes Jerrico chuckle. I shake my head. “Don’t encourage him,” I say, stepping up to go first. “He’s not as funny as he thinks he is. Let’s get this over with, since I’ll have to do this twice.” Jerrico smiles again and begins… whatever the hell he’s doing to activate the portal. I step into the portal and unfortunately, Gentry was right.

Godsdammit. I hate it when he’s right!