Chapter 7

The next two weeks speed by.

In between lessons, kissing Kat and running around selling some of the merchandise that he had to sell, Trae had a lovely time. He and Jim had sat down with Kat and gone through what work she needed to complete before she sat her exams.

Kat and Jim had sent a special letter, spelled of course thanks to Trae, to the University Board demanding that Kat be allowed to sit the exams. They informed them that they could prove that Kat didn’t cheat. They had received a letter back to meet with the Board on Firstday of the next week.

Kat’s first exam was for the following day, so they were pushing it. Otherwise, the University would have to let her sit special makeup exams and wear the expense. They were all nervous when they fronted up to the University for the meeting.

When they explained why they were there to the receptionist, she queried as to whom Trae was, and his involvement. Trae’d had a little talk to Waina Kimble one of the lawyers who rented the other rooms in Jim’s building and simply replied that he was the proof.

They were kept waiting in a small room for an hour and not even offered refreshments. Finally, they were called into the meeting. Baron Rodger Beaks, Dewar and Master Alex Aims were already in the meeting. Jim, Kat and Trae were not happy that they had been invited in last.

Director Chance Charms had Jim and Trae sit off to one side. They stood Kat in an open area and started peppering her with questions without even introducing the Board members to her. Trae stood and walked over and stood in front of Kat before she even answered one of the questions.

“Stop,” he said. They all looked at him in surprise. None of them even knew he who he was. “You must be the rudest people I have ever met. While I realise at least four of you have Novice items, and only one of you has two items, you do not impress me.”

“Who are you?” the Director asked shapely and indignantly. Several others also asked this question.

Trae decided they needed a small shock. He pulled his wand and extended it to stave length. He then mentally told his items to appear. “I am the proof that Katrina Cutter did not cheat.”

“What are you?” Rodger then asked in a stunned voice.

Trae chuckled softly, “Baron Beaks, even I am sure you can count?”

“No, this is a hoax. There are no High Mages,” Director Charms exclaimed as he stood. He walked up to Trae and touched him. He then yelped and stepped back.

“It is very rude to touch someone without their permission, Director. I can assure all of you that I am real and my set is complete. If you wish to observe, Kat can you show them your items, please.”

Kat stepped up beside him and had her items appear. The room gasped, as they comprehended that she was also wearing a full set of High Mage items although she hadn’t produced a wand.

“No, that isn’t possible,” shouted Dewar. “There is no way that she is better than me.”

Kat looked at her old adversary. She didn’t comment on his statement. Instead, she said, “Dewar, you stole my notes and tried to pass off my work as your own. You hit me, to try and scare me. Do I look cowed Dewar? Do I look as if I would need to cheat? You know as well as I do that four gemmed items would not come to me if this was true.”

She then raised her hands and performed a spell. The hideous spiky copper ornament in the middle of the table changed. It formed into a blob and then leaves, stalks and roses formed out of the molten metal and solidified leaving the base shaped like a tall vase.

“Nice,” said Trae. He shortened his stave and then pointed it at the ornament. The leaves and stems turned shades of green and the roses’ shades of pink and red. He crinkled them up a little more to make them look real and added the thorns.

The people in the room knew the spells they had used were complex. They were not the spells of Novice Mages. Some even swore the roses now smelt like roses. They looked back at the two young people in awe and even some fear.

Jim decided it was his turn and he spoke to the board members. “So is my great-granddaughter reinstated or not?”

Master Aims spoke testily, “Why? She doesn’t need to complete the subjects if she is already a Mage.”

Jim smiled at the man, “It is the principle of the exercise. She came here to get her degree. She has the right to complete it. After all, not many Universities today get to skite that one of their students has become a High Mage.”

Jim knew that it was a bit low appealing to the Directors more mercenary side but the man would have eventually come to the same conclusion. He was also letting him save face.

Director Charms didn’t get to where he was by being an idiot and he knew Jim was throwing him an olive branch, so he took it in both hands. “Which subjects was Katrina doing?” he asked Master Aims.

Aims said, “Advanced Metallurgy, Shields and Charms.”

One of the female members of the Board, who was all so a Master, said, “I’ll give her an ‘A’ in Metallurgy. That spell was as advanced as any I’ve seen.”

“What about charms?” One of the other women said.

Kat looked at Trae, and he grinned and nodded. Kat picked up Chance’s pen. “How about a truth spell?” she asked him.

It was his favourite pen, he worried for a moment but nodded his head. Kat did the spell and handed it to him. “Do you now believe Dewar was lying?” she asked him.

Chance immediately said, “Yes.” He started and looked at the pen and then chuckled. “I’m going to have to be very careful using this in future, aren’t I?”

Kat grinned at him, “You could always hand it to someone to admire while you asked innocent questions,” she responded.

The director exploded with laughter. “Your certificate is in the mail,” he chuckled. “What are your plans, my dear?” he asked with sincerity, forgetting he still held the pen.

“I’m not sure. I have some options, but I have not yet decided,” she told him.

“Well, once you get some more experience I’m sure I can find a teaching position for you,” he said.

“One day maybe. In the meantime, if you don’t mind, I will sit the exams, just so people don’t believe I used my powers to sway the board. We only came here today to get me reinstated,” Kat said.

“If that is what you wish, then yes, you are reinstated,” he replied.

“Thank you, I’d better go home and do some study. Master Aims does like us to try our best,” she replied tossing a bone in Aims direction. He had been a good teacher when she hadn’t had Dewar in the same class. “What about Dewar?” she then asked.

The Director twisted the pen in his hands and looked at Rodger. He frowned and looked at the pen. “I’ll have to expel him,” he sighed.

Dewar exploded, “Bitch, I’ll get you for this, I promise you.” He snatched a jug off the table and then threw it at her. Kat put up her hand, the jug hit her shield, which was 50cm from her body and fell. Trae spelled the jug and moved it to the table. Dewar stormed out of the room.

“Well, that sorts out her shielding ability,” the female Master replied with a chuckle, and several others joined her.

The Director wasn’t happy. Even though he still held the pen, he knew it was the correct decision. He would lose money from the Baron, but keeping Dewar would affect the reputation of the whole school, and that would cost them all in the long run.

He was surprised when he felt his entity soothing him. It was rare that he felt her, but he did feel better now she too believed his decision was the correct one. He looked up as Baron Beck stood.

“My apologies,” the Baron said and quietly left. He too knew his friend had made the only decision that was acceptable. He didn’t know where he had gone wrong with his son. His own reputation would be blacked, but there was little he could do but continue to be honest in his dealings with others.

He would also continue his contributions to the school as a show of good faith. His daughter Reynar had started this year. She was a quiet, mousy girl, but she had surprised him with her entrance test results. He hadn’t even realised that she wished to come here until she showed him her acceptance papers.

He hoped Dewar’s disgrace wouldn’t be reflected upon his sister. To be honest, she showed far more promise than Dewar had. As much as it pained him, he might have to ask Master Aims to keep an eye on her.

Kat joined Trae and Jim, and they left in a sombre mood. Kat wasn’t really worried about Dewar even though she knew Jim and Trae were. She could be killed, but she knew Dewar would have to work darn hard to do it.

She would be vigilant all the same.

“Come on Kat, you can do better than that?” Master Aims said.

Kat smiled at him and winked. Aims looked around the room. He had left her until last to perform her metallurgy spell. This test was judged as much by her peers as by himself. He turned to the class, “Well?” he asked.

“A”, was the unanimous vote and he had to chuckle. The spell she had done was more than enough to meet the requirements of the test and a touch more, as he knew. He suspected by her wink that she hadn’t wanted to totally outclass her classmates.

As far as he was aware, her new status was still unknown to the rest of the college. The Director had insisted she was not to be singled out. The knowledge of her change and her items was privileged information at this point. Aims had agreed, as has the other Masters.

Aims started the testing for the charms since it was the same class for both advanced subjects. Again, he left Kat until last using the same order as before. When she stepped up to do her charm, he said, “I want a truth pen.”

Kat looked at him with surprise, before she placed the spell on the pen he handed to her. Before she handed it back, he said, “Did you cheat Kat?”

“No,” she replied.

“Did you start the fight?” he then asked.

“No,” she replied again and handed him the pen. She then asked, “Did you want to believe me?”

It was Aims’ turn to be surprised. “Yes,” he found himself saying and frowned at Kat.

She narrowed her eyes, “Master Aims, may I touch you for a moment?”

He knew the request was unusual but he nodded, so she placed two fingers to his right temple. She frowned again and then placed a hand over his ring. Aims and the class heard her mutter a spell and then she smiled at her teacher.

“That should stop it happening again,” she said cryptically.

While the class didn’t understand, Aims did. “Seriously?” he found himself saying.

“I hate coercion spells. The little shield should stop it happing again,” Kat said, making most of the class gasp, as they understood what she was saying.

“Ask me another question?” Master Aims said.

Olive surprised them by asking, “Will she get the ring?”

Master Aims shook his head to the class’s surprise. He was about to say she was a High Mage but stopped himself and used another truth instead. “No, the ring The Guild Lord has is for an Earth Novice. Kat is an Energy Mage.”

Nathan, who was one of Kat’s few friends at the University said, “But she did the metallurgy spell.”

“Yes, but a strong Energy Mage can manipulate metal. She is very good at shield spells too and that is also more the realm of Energy Mages.”

“Isn’t a truth spell, a Physic spell?” Olive asked.

Master aims frowned, “Yes and no, it deepens on the spell. Most people when they lie have physiological changes, or to put another way, their energy signatures change. So if that type of spell is used, then it does make a very good truth spell and it doesn’t influence the mind of the person. That is the type of spell she used.”