h1 id="docs-internal-guid-efcdae30-5a4e-c177-5aec-bd5e847b23a2" dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 20pt; margin-bottom: 6pt; text-align: center;"span style="font-size: 20pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"Prolougue/span/h1
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""I can still remember when fire was beautiful, the sun was warm on my face, and how soft the grass felt beneath my feet. I remember the smell of flowers, the smell of mother's stew, even the smell of dogs. I remember the little house in the prairie that I was born and raised in. I remember when magic was only real in fairy tales and legends. I even remember when my family was happy./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"And then I ruined it all the day I found out I had magic; I was terrified, astonished, and anxious to try more. I remember showing my eldest sister, Patrus, and I remember her reaction. She fell right on her bottom, scrambled away, jabbing her finger at me and crying, "WITCH!", which roused the rest of my family from the house. Everybody looked at me with such fear in their eyes that it was... Unnerving, to say the least. I was so confused, worried, I didn't know what I had done wrong! I thought I was showing my family something wonderful and new! I had never experienced magic in real life, and I was amazed at how beautiful it appeared, so why was my family afraid?/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"I panicked... lighting the ground on fire as I did so. It was all so fast, to utterly terrifying. The fire spread so quickly, burning the dry Winter-shriveled grass and spreading from where I, a terrified, crying child stood, towards the house. In a matter of seconds, my entire village was burning to the ground, and it was all my fault." Elainie wrapped her arms around her bruised legs, resting her chin on her scabbed knees. She always felt alone after telling that story, rare as that occasion might have been, so as a result, tears began to blur her vision and constrict her vocal cords, causing her voice to crack when she spoke up once more./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""The next morning I was being hauled off here, to Kinloch Hold, without so much as a goodbye to my parents or siblings, not like they would even look at me."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Wow..." replied a voice from the far side of her bed. "That's truly upsetting... Even I got a moment to take my mother's ring when the Templars took /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"me/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"!" Pale hands with said ring crept out from the shadows as a young man scooted closer to her on her bed, reaching out his hand and waiting there for her to place her own hand in his. "Don't worry, you, the Circle isn't all /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"that/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" bad!" He insisted, placing his other hand over Elainie's once it was resting in his open palm./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie looked away, her ginger brow creasing her forehead as she let out a sob, burying her face into her knees as she did so. "I just want my mum! I want my mummy!" She wailed, not caring about how pathetic she might've appeared to the other mage boy. It wasn't fair, and Elainie's young mind couldn't comprehend why she was here, why -her mother wouldn't even look at her, why her father looked so ashamed and disgusted, as if she were a mangy dog that deserved to be put down! Elainie's cries echoed off the walls of the apprentice's quarters, only growing louder the more she thought about her predicament./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Maker's breath- Shut. /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"UP!/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"" snapped one apprentice whose bed was located directly above Elainie's. He dropped down, grunting upon impact before turning around, trying to charge at Elainie. Garrick, the boy sitting next to her, instantly moved to stand in the other boy's way, chest puffed out and head held high; he looked like a knight in shining... Robes. "Get out of my /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"way/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;", Garrick! If nobody else is going to shut that whining little brat up, /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"I/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" will!" He snapped, trying to shoulder his way past Garrick, but he was suddenly harshly shoved backwards, stumbling and tripping over his own feet, falling onto another apprentice, who cried out in both surprise and pain./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Bugger off, Calder! She's just a kid!" Garrick argued back, his spine stiff as ever as he guarded Elainie. Calder, the angry boy, hauled himself to his feet with a low, agitated grumble, his brow furrowed more than Elainie had ever seen anyone do! Calder suddenly scoffed, his nose wrinkling and his lip curling up as he rolled his eyes, hands grabbing his hips./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""I know kid /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"half/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" her age who aren't crying!" He retorted, leaning over to glance behind Garrick at Elainie, his lips curling into a dirty, smug grin. "Your parents don't love you! You know that, right? They got rid of you because you're /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"dangerous/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" and evil!"/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Each and every word cut deep into Elainie's heart sending the shattered pieces deep in the pit of her stomach, and even then, her chest ached. He was lying! No, her parents loved her! They sent her here to get better, and once she was, they would come and get her and take her home and everything would be just the way it was before! He was /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"lying/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"! Elainie opened her mouth to say something back, but her tears caught her tongue, choked her, leaving her bass-mouthed and looking stupid./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"By now, everyone was out of their beds, staring at the scene that had unfolded before them. Some were shocked at what they were hearing, staring on with their eyebrows turned upward and tears spilling from their eyes as if they felt just as hurt as Elainie did, while other simply rolled their eyes and laid back down, pulling their covers over their heads or smothering their faces with their pillows./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie felt put on the spot, with the feeling of a million eyes staring at her, coupled with the pain of Calder's words, it was all so overwhelming! So it was no surprise that Elainie pushed past Garrick and weaved in between the beds before bursting out of the room, her hands plastered to her face as she ran down the hall blubbering./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"!" She heard several apprentices cry out, their voices fading more the further she ran down the hall. Elainie blocked out their calls, her tiny feet pattering against the stone floor. She was intent on running forever, she felt like she could, it was better than lying down and crying. Sadly, her wish was interrupted when she ran smack into someone, causing her to fall back onto her bottom./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie gazed up, dazed and with a slight throbbing pain in her nose. When her blurry vision cleared, she was able to see who it was she ran into. It was Knight-Commander Greigor! And he looked disgruntled, as usual, as he had a firm grip on a young mage apprentice, whom Elainie recognized right away. It was the young boy everybody called The Ander, for no one knew his real name. Anders blinked down at Elainie, before flashing a boyish grin and chuckling./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""See, Greigor? I'm not the only one out of bed!" Anders remarked, glancing up at the old Templar, who, as a response, rolled his eyes before looking down at Elainie with a stern look./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"'Please don't shout at me, I've had enough of that for one night!'/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie thought to herself, lowering her head and trembling with the effort to hold back a sob. "What are you doing out of bed, young lady? It's /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"past /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"curfew! You had better not be getting into things like /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"this/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" one!" He said, giving Anders' shoulder a firm shake. Elainie whimpered in response, but Greigor didn't take it, stepping forward and even leaning down a little. "What? Speak up, girl!" He demanded./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"But instead of responding with words, Elainie responded with a loud wail as she shot to her feet, throwing her arms around the old Templar, bawling loudly as she held onto him tightly. She had opened the floodgates and they were spilling all over the "skirt" Greigor wore, soaking two little wet spots on the fabric./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Greigor sputtered, taken aback by the young girl's sobs, and taken even /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"more/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" aback by the fact that she was actually /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"hugging/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" him! Even Anders looked on in surprise, his amber eyes wide with one eyebrow quirked upward in confusion. The young boy looked up at Greigor, slightly expecting him to shove the girl away, but instead, Greigor just let out a weary sigh and nudged Anders forward./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Return to the Apprentice's quarters now! I'll deal with you in the morning!" He stated, pushing Anders ahead of him before laying his hands on Elainie's shoulders and pulling her closer, turning around to guide her in the opposite direction. Normally, Anders would have disobeyed, or even talked back, but he knew when situations were serious, and he didn't dare argue back, and instead turned with a huff and walked away./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Come now, my dear, let's go see the First Enchanter." Greigor said in a low voice, guiding Elainie with one hand on her shoulder and the other on her head, pulling the little girl closer as she continued to cry, her tiny fists balled up in his skirt./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""I can still remember when fire was beautiful, the sun was warm on my face, and how soft the grass felt beneath my feet. I remember the smell of flowers, the smell of mother's stew, even the smell of dogs. I remember the little house in the prairie that I was born and raised in. I remember when magic was only real in fairy tales and legends. I even remember when my family was happy./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"And then I ruined it all the day I found out I had magic; I was terrified, astonished, and anxious to try more. I remember showing my eldest sister, Patrus, and I remember her reaction. She fell right on her bottom, scrambled away, jabbing her finger at me and crying, "WITCH!", which roused the rest of my family from the house. Everybody looked at me with such fear in their eyes that it was... Unnerving, to say the least. I was so confused, worried, I didn't know what I had done wrong! I thought I was showing my family something wonderful and new! I had never experienced magic in real life, and I was amazed at how beautiful it appeared, so why was my family afraid?/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"I panicked... lighting the ground on fire as I did so. It was all so fast, to utterly terrifying. The fire spread so quickly, burning the dry Winter-shriveled grass and spreading from where I, a terrified, crying child stood, towards the house. In a matter of seconds, my entire village was burning to the ground, and it was all my fault." Elainie wrapped her arms around her bruised legs, resting her chin on her scabbed knees. She always felt alone after telling that story, rare as that occasion might have been, so as a result, tears began to blur her vision and constrict her vocal cords, causing her voice to crack when she spoke up once more./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""The next morning I was being hauled off here, to Kinloch Hold, without so much as a goodbye to my parents or siblings, not like they would even look at me."/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Wow..." replied a voice from the far side of her bed. "That's truly upsetting... Even I got a moment to take my mother's ring when the Templars took /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"me/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"!" Pale hands with said ring crept out from the shadows as a young man scooted closer to her on her bed, reaching out his hand and waiting there for her to place her own hand in his. "Don't worry, you, the Circle isn't all /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"that/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" bad!" He insisted, placing his other hand over Elainie's once it was resting in his open palm./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie looked away, her ginger brow creasing her forehead as she let out a sob, burying her face into her knees as she did so. "I just want my mum! I want my mummy!" She wailed, not caring about how pathetic she might've appeared to the other mage boy. It wasn't fair, and Elainie's young mind couldn't comprehend why she was here, why -her mother wouldn't even look at her, why her father looked so ashamed and disgusted, as if she were a mangy dog that deserved to be put down! Elainie's cries echoed off the walls of the apprentice's quarters, only growing louder the more she thought about her predicament./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Maker's breath- Shut. /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"UP!/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"" snapped one apprentice whose bed was located directly above Elainie's. He dropped down, grunting upon impact before turning around, trying to charge at Elainie. Garrick, the boy sitting next to her, instantly moved to stand in the other boy's way, chest puffed out and head held high; he looked like a knight in shining... Robes. "Get out of my /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"way/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;", Garrick! If nobody else is going to shut that whining little brat up, /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"I/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" will!" He snapped, trying to shoulder his way past Garrick, but he was suddenly harshly shoved backwards, stumbling and tripping over his own feet, falling onto another apprentice, who cried out in both surprise and pain./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Bugger off, Calder! She's just a kid!" Garrick argued back, his spine stiff as ever as he guarded Elainie. Calder, the angry boy, hauled himself to his feet with a low, agitated grumble, his brow furrowed more than Elainie had ever seen anyone do! Calder suddenly scoffed, his nose wrinkling and his lip curling up as he rolled his eyes, hands grabbing his hips./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""I know kid /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"half/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" her age who aren't crying!" He retorted, leaning over to glance behind Garrick at Elainie, his lips curling into a dirty, smug grin. "Your parents don't love you! You know that, right? They got rid of you because you're /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"dangerous/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" and evil!"/span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Each and every word cut deep into Elainie's heart sending the shattered pieces deep in the pit of her stomach, and even then, her chest ached. He was lying! No, her parents loved her! They sent her here to get better, and once she was, they would come and get her and take her home and everything would be just the way it was before! He was /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"lying/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"! Elainie opened her mouth to say something back, but her tears caught her tongue, choked her, leaving her bass-mouthed and looking stupid./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"By now, everyone was out of their beds, staring at the scene that had unfolded before them. Some were shocked at what they were hearing, staring on with their eyebrows turned upward and tears spilling from their eyes as if they felt just as hurt as Elainie did, while other simply rolled their eyes and laid back down, pulling their covers over their heads or smothering their faces with their pillows./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie felt put on the spot, with the feeling of a million eyes staring at her, coupled with the pain of Calder's words, it was all so overwhelming! So it was no surprise that Elainie pushed past Garrick and weaved in between the beds before bursting out of the room, her hands plastered to her face as she ran down the hall blubbering./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"!" She heard several apprentices cry out, their voices fading more the further she ran down the hall. Elainie blocked out their calls, her tiny feet pattering against the stone floor. She was intent on running forever, she felt like she could, it was better than lying down and crying. Sadly, her wish was interrupted when she ran smack into someone, causing her to fall back onto her bottom./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie gazed up, dazed and with a slight throbbing pain in her nose. When her blurry vision cleared, she was able to see who it was she ran into. It was Knight-Commander Greigor! And he looked disgruntled, as usual, as he had a firm grip on a young mage apprentice, whom Elainie recognized right away. It was the young boy everybody called The Ander, for no one knew his real name. Anders blinked down at Elainie, before flashing a boyish grin and chuckling./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""See, Greigor? I'm not the only one out of bed!" Anders remarked, glancing up at the old Templar, who, as a response, rolled his eyes before looking down at Elainie with a stern look./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"'Please don't shout at me, I've had enough of that for one night!'/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Elainie thought to herself, lowering her head and trembling with the effort to hold back a sob. "What are you doing out of bed, young lady? It's /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"past /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"curfew! You had better not be getting into things like /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"this/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" one!" He said, giving Anders' shoulder a firm shake. Elainie whimpered in response, but Greigor didn't take it, stepping forward and even leaning down a little. "What? Speak up, girl!" He demanded./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"But instead of responding with words, Elainie responded with a loud wail as she shot to her feet, throwing her arms around the old Templar, bawling loudly as she held onto him tightly. She had opened the floodgates and they were spilling all over the "skirt" Greigor wore, soaking two little wet spots on the fabric./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"Greigor sputtered, taken aback by the young girl's sobs, and taken even /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"more/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" aback by the fact that she was actually /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"hugging/spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" him! Even Anders looked on in surprise, his amber eyes wide with one eyebrow quirked upward in confusion. The young boy looked up at Greigor, slightly expecting him to shove the girl away, but instead, Greigor just let out a weary sigh and nudged Anders forward./span/p
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p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Return to the Apprentice's quarters now! I'll deal with you in the morning!" He stated, pushing Anders ahead of him before laying his hands on Elainie's shoulders and pulling her closer, turning around to guide her in the opposite direction. Normally, Anders would have disobeyed, or even talked back, but he knew when situations were serious, and he didn't dare argue back, and instead turned with a huff and walked away./span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;""Come now, my dear, let's go see the First Enchanter." Greigor said in a low voice, guiding Elainie with one hand on her shoulder and the other on her head, pulling the little girl closer as she continued to cry, her tiny fists balled up in his skirt./span/p