Disclaimers:

This is a planned anthology so I've marked it as WIP, however each chapter should stand on its own fairly well.

This first chapter is super long but I just couldn't find a place to split it that felt natural and I wanted it to be self-contained.

Unfortunately my story basically steals a lot of ideas from danceofwisps' Dota High School, which you should read (Can't link I guess. Just search for it). I swear I wrote this story before reading yours, Wisps! But regardless of initial similarities our stories definitely play out quite differently, so check out both.

And finally, Dota 2 and all related characters, places and things are property of Valve Corporation.

CHAPTER I – A SHOT TO THE HEART

The young ranger stepped out of the carriage and squinted in the sunlight. As her eyes quickly adjusted she immediately began taking note of her surroundings, a subconscious practice that had become entrenched through years of training. The area was heavily wooded, but not overgrown – the tall evergreen trees and flowering shrubs had been carefully trimmed, and the stone pathway beneath her feet had been kept free of weeds. She followed it a short distance with her eyes until they fell upon a large iron gate. Large bronze lettering adorned the arch.

Newell School for Young Heroes

Traxex took a deep breath of clean, fresh air and sighed. She was not too nervous, but she wasn't sure what to expect. She had never received a formal education until now. Among her people practical skills like hunting and tracking were all that mattered. Traxex enjoyed the ranger's life, she felt at home in the forest and never yearned for anything more. At least, not until the Oracle found her.

Oracle was a strange being. Traxex did not have many encounters with the world outside of her forest, but it was clear from just a glance that this man was from somewhere very far away. Like all rangers, she prided herself on being nigh impossible to find, and yet Oracle seemingly had no trouble at all tracking her down.

"You could say that, yes."

Traxex did a double-take. "What?"

"You were about to ask if I was a wizard." Oracle smiled slyly. "You could say that."

The ranger became very uneasy. She gripped her bow tightly.

"You… can read my mind?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. Rest assured, your thoughts are your own. As for what you say or do, I have simply… foreseen it."

"You know the future."

Oracle chuckled. "It's not always as simple as that, but yes, I receive visions of the future. And I have received a vision of yours, and it is not in this forest."

The mysterious being went on to tell her that he had come from a school, a school for promising young men and women with unique abilities. He dazzled her with promises of the powerful magics and advanced technologies she would learn of, the expert warriors who would help her hone her skills, and the great destiny that awaited her.

"What destiny?"

"The future is not always so clear, but I have seen great things in store for you, Traxex."

She hesitated, overwhelmed by the things Oracle had told her of.

"I can't make you come with me, but there is a place for you at the Academy, if you want it."

The next day she was on a carriage heading west, and now here she was.

She stood there for a long time, taking it all in. After a while a young man opened the gate and approached her, waving.

"Hi, you must be Traxex. Am I saying that right?"

She nodded.

"Cool. I'm Davion, you can call me Dave."

He smiled and reached out his hand to her. She stared at it for a moment before realizing that she was supposed to shake it. She tried to hide her embarrassment as she did.

He laughed. "Hey, don't worry about it. You must be nervous, I was too on my first day. Can I help you with your bags?"

She glanced down at the single small satchel by her feet, in which she had packed everything she owned.

"I got it, thanks."

He smiled again, and his warmth made her feel a bit more at ease. Together they followed the long cobbled path up towards the academy's great hall. It was a beautiful old building made of white stone, with leafy vines clinging to the walls.

"This is where we have assemblies and shows and stuff. The front desk is in this building over here."

As they approached the door Davion held it open and motioned for her to enter first. Her instincts told her not to turn her back to someone she barely knew, but she complied and stepped through.

Behind a large wooden desk in the centre of the room sat a strange looking man with a skeletal face. Traxex recognised that he must be undead, and instinctively began to reach for her weapon when Davion spoke up.

"Morning Mr. Ethreain."

The man seemed to smile, insofar as one can smile without lips, and greeted him in return.

"Hello Davion! And who might this be?"

"This is Traxex, she's a new student."

"Hello," she said sheepishly.

"Ah, yes of course! Pleased to meet you Traxex, my name is Mr. Ethreain. You must be tired after the journey here, let's get you set up with a room."

He perused a shelf full of keys and picked one out, handing it to her.

"You'll be staying in Eul's, Davion can show you the way."

She took the key and thanked him, then followed Dave out. They walked a short distance, passing through an open courtyard with an ornate fountain in its centre. The crystal clear water sparkled in the sunlight as it fell.

"Eul's is the girls' dorm," Davion said as they approached the building. "They're a good bunch, I think you'll fit right in."

It was quiet, and Traxex hadn't seen any other students since she arrived.

"Everyone's in class right now, but there's a break soon and then you can meet your roommate."

She stood silently for a moment before Davion realised that she was waiting for him.

"Oh, sorry. I'm not supposed to go in there, but your room number is on the key, just follow the signs."

She nodded. "Ok, thanks."

"Sure thing. I'll see you around!"

And with that he left, leaving her alone once again.

She sighed and made her way down the hall to her room. She slid the key into the lock and was staggered as an icy breeze rushed out through the door.

On the left hand side of the room was an empty bed, which she surmised must have been hers, but the bed on the right side was covered in a thin layer of frost. In fact, the ice had spread across most of the room, decorating the walls with delicate crystals. Traxex could almost see her breath as she breathed out.

She set down her bag and took a seat on the bed, facing the frozen half of the room. Other than the ice it looked like the living space of a normal teenage girl. Posters with quotes and excerpts of poetry decorated the walls, and on the desk, along with an assortment of stationery and books, was a framed picture of a wolf pup. She figured it must be a pet.

Traxex began unpacking what few things she had when a bell rang in the distance. Shortly after she could hear a commotion, growing steadily louder as students poured out of their classes. She suddenly felt her chest tighten at the thought of all those people. Until now Traxex had lived a very solitary life, she wasn't sure how well she'd cope being surrounded by people on a daily basis.

The noise grew louder still as dozens of female voices drew close to Eul's, and soon enough the door to room 102 opened, and a young woman entered. She was startled by the stranger in her room.

"Oh, hi! You must be my new roommate!"

She smiled a wide, friendly smile. "I'm Rylai."

The ranger's eyes took in every detail of the woman standing in front of her. Wavy blonde hair framed her fair face, and despite the warm weather she wore thick winter robes. An aura of cold radiated from her.

"I'm Traxex."

Trying to make a good first impression, Traxex reminded herself that it was customary to shake hands, and extended hers to the girl. She hesitated for a split-second before reciprocating the gesture. Her fingers were as cold as ice, but Traxex did her best to mask her reaction. Regardless, Rylai pulled her hand away as quickly as possible.

"Sorry about the cold," she said.

"I don't mind."

Traxex had lived in the wild for a long time, she was accustomed to sleeping in much harsher conditions.

"You say that now, but we'll see how you feel by the end of the semester!"

Rylai laughed, but Traxex could see the sadness behind her bright blue eyes. She wondered how many roommates had come before her.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but you have a very unique name – where are you from?"

"It's not a human name," the ranger replied. "I was raised by Drow."

"Wow!" Rylai seemed genuinely interested in her background, but Traxex suddenly found herself quite embarrassed by it, and tried to divert the conversation.

"But I've lived alone, mostly."

Rylai's eyes lit up. "Me too! I'm from Icewrack, not a lot of people up there. But it was home, you know?"

Traxex nodded. Her new roommate's sincerity made her feel a bit more at ease.

There was a brief pause as they both searched for a topic to continue the conversation.

"Is that your wolf?" said Traxex, pointing to the framed picture.

"Yes, that's Aurora," Rylai's cheeks filled with pride. "She was just a baby when we took that picture. She must be so big now."

"You couldn't bring her here?"

"No," she sighed. "They only allow small pets, ones you can keep in your room."

"I've never had a pet," Traxex offered, "but I knew all of the creatures in my forest very well."

"That sounds so lovely," Rylai cooed, as sincere as before.

They both smiled. Traxex had a good feeling about this person.

"You want to get some lunch?"

The dining hall was abuzz as dozens of students ate and chatted with one another. Traxex was amazed by the vast variety of the people she saw. There were students from all across the land and from all different races. There were humans, ogres, trolls, half-beasts, and countless other creatures she could not even identify.

She and Rylai found a small table near the back of the hall, which gave them a good view of the whole room and everyone in it. Rylai grinned at the ranger's awe as she tried to take it all in.

"We're a pretty… diverse group here."

After they had finished eating Rylai offered to introduce her to some people. Traxex did not relish the idea, but agreed. They approached a table of people and Rylai waved, but kept just a bit of distance between them.

"Girls, this is Traxex, she's our new Eul's girl."

Traxex did her best to mask her discomfort with a smile. Staring back at her were two humans, a woman who looked mostly human aside from the horns on her head and the wings on her back, and a satyr, who simply stood at the table, her bestial lower half not conducive to sitting on a bench.

They all greeted the newcomer as Rylai introduced them.

"This is Aiushtha," the satyr.

"Akasha," the winged woman.

"Luna," the dark haired woman.

"…and my sister Lina."

Rylai introduced her sister with pointedly less enthusiasm, and Traxex could immediately sense the tension between them.

"Older sister," Lina corrected her.

"Yeah, much older," Rylai mumbled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Traxex," Aiushtha beamed. "What brings you here?"

The ranger hesitated, unsure if she should divulge the Oracle's name.

"Um, you know, just want to learn what I can."

The satyr giggled. "Well, how studious of you! You should talk to Lanaya."

The girls laughed at what Traxex assumed must have been a playful jab whoever that was.

Just then Davion and another boy walked by. He smiled and greeted them.

"Hi girls. Hey Traxex, how's it going? Rylai taking good care of you?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Traxex this is Sven," he said as I turned to his friend. Sven was very tall, and very handsome, with striking chiselled features and broad shoulders. He nodded wordlessly toward her. Apparently a man of few words.

Rylai cleared her throat and squeaked, "Hi Sven."

Still he said nothing, but just the slightest hint of a smile cracked across his stern face as he looked at her.

"Well, we need to get going," Davion interjected, "don't wanna be late. See you later!"

As the two boys walked away the girls at the table giggled, and Rylai could not stop herself from blushing. Traxex took the opportunity to spare her new friend more embarrassment and excused the two of them.

According to her schedule, Traxex's first class was Agility 101. She got lost trying to find the room, and arrived quite late to the lecture. At the front of the class stood a small dwarf with a big nose and a bushy white beard. On the table in front of him was a large scoped rifle. It looked almost as big as he was. To Traxex's dismay she was unable to avoid his detection as she entered the lecture hall.

"Ah! You must be the new student!" his voice was high and squeaky, as comical as his appearance. "Please, come in, come in, take a seat."

Traxex gritted her teeth as the entire class turned to look at her. She took the nearest open seat and sunk into it.

"Now, where was I? Ah yes. Now, when engaging in long range combat it's important to remember…"

The dwarf continued his lecture, but Traxex was too distracted to really pay attention to any of it. A few seats down from her sat a small blue-skinned satyr, who had not stopped staring at her since she came in. He made kissy faces and other, more offensive motions towards her, while his friends snickered. She tried to just ignore the heckler when the boy sitting behind him reached forward and smacked him on the head, right between his curled horns. The satyr gave him a dirty look and crossed his arms in a pout.

Traxex's rescuer scooted over and settled in the seat next to her.

"Sorry about Riki," he whispered, so as not to disrupt the lecture. "He's an asshole."

The young man wore a sleeveless purple shirt, and his hair was shaved into a mohawk.

"I'm Magina by the way."

After the lecture Magina introduced Traxex to some of the guys. They were just as an eccentric group as the rest of the school. Yurnero was a quirky fellow, to say the least. He was always fidgeting and couldn't sit still for long, and communicated exclusively in single word sentences and grunts. Then there was the slithereen brothers, Slardar and Slark. Slardar, the older brother, seemed like a decent sort, if a bit grumpy, and Slark was just socially awkward. It was clear that he didn't talk to a lot of girls by the way he squirmed and stammered as he introduced himself. He had a good sense of humour though, and made his friends laugh a lot.

The awkwardness of the group actually put Traxex at ease somewhat; they were easy to be around.

"Hey, it was cool meeting you Traxex, we'll see you around."

She didn't have any more lectures today, so she made her way back to her room, her mind buzzing with all of the new names and faces she had met today.

Rylai was working at her desk when she came back.

"Hi Traxex! How'd your first day go?"

The ranger sat down on the bed and let out a contented sigh.

"Pretty good. Thanks for showing me around."

Rylai beamed. "Of course! It's the least I could do. I hope we can be friends."

Traxex was surprised by the sentiment. She had never really had a friend before.

"Yeah, me too."

The girls were up early the next morning getting ready for class. Traxex was not as comfortable as the other Eul's girls apparently were with traipsing around the dorm with little to no clothing. And then, once they were dressed, each one launched into a complicated ritual of hair and makeup, using all manner of products that she had never seen before. They were all so beautiful and glamorous. She couldn't help but feel somewhat self-conscious as she stared at the plain face looking back at her from the mirror.

Sensing her insecurity, Rylai offered to help her with her hair, and she agreed.

The frost mage was overly careful not to touch any part of Traxex's skin, though she reassured her once again that the cold did not bother her.

"You have such pretty hair!" said Rylai.

Traxex found it a strange compliment, she did not create her hair, it was just the hair she had. Despite her confusion she accepted the flattery graciously.

After a few minutes of gentle brushing and pinning, the ranger's long hair flowed elegantly in silvery waves around her face and onto her shoulders. She was astounded when Rylai turned her around to face the mirror. She had never seen herself like this before.

Rylai misinterpreted her stunned silence as disapproval.

"Oh no!" she fretted. "You hate it, don't you? Oh, I'm sorry, I tried I really did!"

"No, no. It's… I love it. Thank you."

Rylai looked as though she might burst into tears.

"Really? Oh I'm so glad!"

Without warning she wrapped her arms around Traxex. She was taken aback at first, but despite the frigidness of her roommate's embrace, Traxex felt an inner warmth that she had not experienced in a long time.

"Oops, sorry!" Rylai said as she quickly pulled away. "You might catch the flu if I keep doing that!"

At breakfast they talked about all sorts of things from their family to their classes, and the many people Traxex had met the day before.

"Yeah, Davion seems like a good guy," she said between mouthfuls of food. "His friend doesn't talk much. Sven, right?"

Rylai could not hide her reaction at the mention of his name.

"Yeah," she smiled bashfully, "He's kind of serious."

"You like him?"

Rylai almost spat out her food at the sudden question. Traxex apologized, realising her inquiry was obviously inappropriate.

"No, it's okay," she said as she regained her composure. "I just… is it that obvious?"

Traxex shrugged. "Yeah..."

"Oh dear," Rylai fanned herself with her hands, attempting to extinguish the redness in her cheeks.

"Why are you embarrassed about it?"

"I don't know, it's just embarrassing! We hardly even talk!"

"What do you like about him?"

Rylai couldn't help but grin at the bluntness of her new friend.

"Well… I know he comes across as pretty gruff, but he's really a very thoughtful person, I think. I see him spend a lot of time walking alone in the gardens, just watching the sky like he's looking for… something more."

Her face dropped. "I've heard he had a pretty rough past, and I can definitely sense a sadness in him. But he's also very brave. Davion actually used to get picked on a lot when he first came here, but Sven always stood up for him, even getting into fist fights with some the other boys. He still fights sometimes, but always for a good cause. I think he just doesn't know how to express what he's feeling."

Traxex smiled. She obviously cared very deeply for him.

"You should tell him how you feel."

"What? No, no. I couldn't… what would he have to do with someone like me?"

It was Traxex's turn to boost her friend's confidence.

"Rylai, I've only known you for a day and… well, I can see that you are a kind-hearted person. He would be lucky to have you."

The frost mage wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Wow. Thank you, Traxex. Maybe I will talk to him."

The pair's tender moment was cut short by the ringing of the bell.

Rylai took a deep breath and centred herself again.

"Well, time for class!"

Traxex's first class this morning was PE. She made her way to the gym. Inside some of the students had already started stretching and warming up. She recognised Magina and Yurnero and waved to them, Lina ignored her, and the others she didn't know.

"ALRIGHT MAGGOTS!" a voice boomed from the centre of the room.

Traxex turned to see that the voice belonged to a large, burly Oglodi man with red skin. He held a clipboard in his hand and wore a whistle around his neck, which he proceeded to blow a few times for good measure.

"FOR ANY OF YOU WORMS WHO DON'T KNOW ME, I'M COACH KHAN," he continued to shout despite the complete lack of noise in the gym.

"NOW ENOUGH WITH THE PLEASANTRIES! TEN LAPS! MOVE IT!"

The activity was little exertion for the ranger, who had always maintained peak physical condition, but some of the other students didn't fare so well. A large furry humanoid in particular was falling way behind, his huge gut jiggling as he lumbered on. Magina was poking fun at him, but slowed his pace so as to run alongside him.

Traxex was effortlessly leading the pack by a sizable distance until she noticed someone catching up to her out of the corner of her eye. A lithe young woman dressed in green had quickly overtaken Traxex, a long braid of red hair flowing behind her as she ran.

As the girl pulled farther and farther ahead of her, Traxex became filled with an inexplicable competitiveness, and increased her pace to keep up.

Before long the two were engaged in a full-blown race around the track, even after the other students had finished the required ten laps. Some of the observers began cheering them on, and Traxex pushed herself even harder.

The race was neck and neck until, in the final stretch, the ranger poured every last bit of strength she had left into her legs, and crossed the finish line, victorious.

Traxex's head was pounding, her vision blurred, and she felt she might collapse, but the ecstatic shouts of approval from the other students kept her standing.

"Crazy kids…" Coach Khan grumbled. "Alright take a break, get some water."

The ranger's bested opponent approached her, still breathing hard. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.

"Pretty impressive new girl," she grinned. "Not a whole lot of people here who are faster than me."

"I don't doubt it," Traxex huffed.

"I'm Lyralei."

"Traxex."

As they shook hands Traxex finally got a good look at her. Long, wild red hair framed her face. Her bright green eyes flashed with energy and audacity, and below them constellations of freckles danced along her fair, smooth skin.

She was the most beautiful creature Traxex had ever seen.

"Awesome, well I guess I'll see you around Traxex."

"Yeah, see you around."

She tried not to stare as Lyralei walked away. Magina's voice snapped her out of her daze.

"Hey Traxex!" he said. "That was amazing! I didn't know you could move like that!"

She shrugged, "Neither did I."

"OKAY BACK TO WORK!" shouted the Coach. "REST IS FOR THE DEAD!"

Basic Principles of Mechanics was next, in the engineering building. The lecturer, a Keen man called professor Boush, was… eccentric to say the least. Presumably to compensate for his small stature, at all times he wore a mechanical exoskeleton, with two robotic arms that he would use to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously. It was really rather impressive, Traxex thought.

The lecture material was largely over her head. She had always lived simply, not having much access to technology in the wild, but still she found it intriguing.

A guest lecturer, another Keen man with a long moustache, came in to show off his flying machine, outfitted with all manner of advanced weaponry. The class was awestruck by it, including Traxex, though she wondered why a university professor would need such a war machine.

After that it was time for lunch. Rylai had told her at the beginning of the day that she had some work she needed to get done during the lunch hour, so Traxex sat at a table alone. She did not stay so for long, however, as Davion found her.

"Hey! Can I sit with you?"

Traxex agreed and he took the seat across from her.

"So, how are you doing so far? Made some friends?"

"Yeah, a few."

"That's good. And classes going well?"

"So far, yeah."

"Great!" he smiled. "I knew you'd be alright, you seem really talented."

Traxex just smiled absent-mindedly; oblivious to the comment she had been paid.

There was a lull in the conversation as they both finished their meals.

"Hey listen, um…" Davion scratched his head. "There's like this mixer thing tonight, at the Black King Bar. It's a pretty cool place, a lot of the students hang out there. Anyway, do you, um… you wanna go, with me?"

Once again oblivious to the boy's intentions, Traxex agreed semi-enthusiastically.

"Awesome! Awesome…"

Another lull. Her thoughts still wandering to the girl with the red hair she asked, "Hey, do you know Lyralei at all?"

"Uh, a little, yeah. I think we have a few classes together."

"What, um, what does she do?"

"Hmm," he thought for a moment. "I know she's big into archery."

The ranger's eyes lit up at the mention of it.

"Really? Is there, like a club?"

"Yep. I think they meet today, actually."

In that moment Traxex was determined to go to this club. She hastily excused herself and rushed to her room to grab her bow.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you later, right?" Davion called out, but she was already half way there.

The sports fields were a bit of a walk from the main campus, and Traxex found herself somewhat lost along the many twisting paths that led through the woods surrounding the school.

Then she heard something. An animal, moving through the brush, getting closer. She drew an arrow from her quiver and readied it. The sound grew steadily louder and a massive bear emerged from the trees. She had already pulled back the arrow and was a split-second from firing when a voice halted her.

"WAIT!" it shouted. She obeyed, but kept her bowstring drawn nonetheless.

A gruff old man stepped out from the shade, holding up his palms in a sign of peace.

"Easy there, lass."

He placed a hand on the head of the bear, who had become understandably tense at the possibility of being shot, and spoke softly to it. It growled, but obeyed its master and stepped back.

"Sorry to frighten you. He won't hurt you, he was just spooked is all. You must be new here."

The man's white beard and ragged robes were covered with a healthy layer of dirt. He obviously spent a lot of time in this forest.

"My name is Sylla, I tend to these woods, along with my furry friend here," he patted the beast on the head.

"I'm Traxex."

"Nice to meet you Traxex," he smiled and his eyes wrinkled.

"I should warn you, we aren't the only ones out here. If you see a talking tree or a man with antlers talking to trees, don't be alarmed. Those are just my colleagues."

Talking trees? Traxex had never heard of such a thing. This was indeed a strange place.

"Thanks."

"Oh and if you're looking for the sports field it's just down this path here."

She thanked him again and made her way out of the wood and onto a large open field. A small group of students were firing arrows into straw dummies and wooden targets. Among them was Lyralei.

"Hey!" she called out as Traxex approached. Her eyes lit up when she saw her bow.

"You're an archer! No way, that's crazy! You aren't gonna show me up at this too, are you?"

She winked playfully.

"Well come on, let me introduce you to our little group."

"This is Mirana," the girl, who was overdressed for archery practice, gave a slight curtsy.

"And this is Medusa," Traxex recognised her as a Gorgon, though she hid her hair of serpents beneath a loose-fitting hood.

"And this is Clinkz."

Clinkz was a skeleton. He had no flesh, but somehow stood with just dry bones holding him up. Normally the sight would be quite a shock to the ranger, but at this point little surprised her.

Despite their unconventional nature, the archery club were an accepting group, and friendly enough, save for Mirana, who could be a bit pretentious. Traxex would later learn that Mirana was in fact royalty, heir to some distant kingdom. She didn't see it as an excuse for her attitude, but it made sense.

Lyralei was every bit as talented a marksman as Traxex, and she found their friendly rivalry refreshing. The one thing the ranger could not possibly match was the incredible speed with which Lyralei loosed her arrows. Traxex could shoot the wings off of a fly a mile away, but Lyralei could do it twice as fast.

As the light started to fade the group started to pack up, and the two girls went to retrieve their arrows from the dummies that had now been reduced to giant pincushions.

"You're not bad, new girl."

"Neither are you."

"You're a ranger, aren't you?"

Traxex was surprised at her perception. "Yes, how can you tell?"

"Your form, it's pretty typical ranger training. Family business?"

"Something like that," she evaded the question.

"Hey, it's cool, some people aren't big into family stuff."

"No, it's not that. I just… well I never actually knew my parents."

"Shut up!" Traxex thought maybe she had offended her, but Lyralei smiled widely.

"Neither did I! They died when I was just a kid. They say I was raised by the wind or something crazy like that." Lyralei made a funny face to illustrate the absurdity of the idea, and it made Traxex laugh.

"I was raised by Drow, actually."

"Huh," the wind girl scratched her chin and thought for a moment. "The Drow Ranger – got a nice ring to it don't you think?"

"And you can be… the Wind Ranger!"

"What! That sounds terrible!"

They both laughed heartily at their new titles. For a moment there was an expectant silence in the air between them. It was not uncomfortable, but the empty space yearned to be filled with words they weren't sure they had.

"Hey, I'll race you back to campus?"

"You're on."

Traxex almost forgot about the mixer, and barely made it back in time to get ready.

"Where ya' going?" asked Rylai as her roommate got dressed.

"To the mixer. Davion asked me to go with him."

Rylai made a squeaking sound and put her hands to her cheeks.

"What?"

"You've got a date!"

"No, it's not like that."

"Maybe you don't think so, but what does Dave think this is?"

Traxex's heart sank. She would not have agreed to this if she had thought Davion was interested in her. Noticing her distress, Rylai stood and placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Just give it a chance! Dave is a great guy! And hey, if I have to talk to Sven then you have to go on this date, ok?"

Traxex nodded sullenly and set out.

The Black King Bar was a tavern just outside of the school property, and was a popular destination for the students of Newell. When Traxex arrived Davion was waiting for her just outside the entrance.

"Hey Traxex, how are you?" he reached out to give her a hug but she found herself unable to move.

"Um… you look nice," he offered.

"Thank you."

"Let's get out of the cold, huh?"

The inside of the bar was dimly light by torches along the walls and candles on the tables. It was pretty packed, and the atmosphere buzzed with voices and laughter. The two took a seat at a small table near an open area in the centre of the floor, which Traxex would soon discover was an area designated for dancing, as somewhere in the background music began to play and people flocked to it.

Traxex and Davion made some small talk, but mostly sipped their drinks in silence. He offered her a dance but she politely declined, her drink was not nearly strong enough for that.

And then she arrived. Like a mirage there she was, amidst the crowds. Lyralei.

No, not here. Not right now.

Traxex's pulse raced. The room seemed suddenly much warmer. She tried to keep her head down, to remain unseen, but like a moth to the flame she could not tear her eyes from the girl. Sure enough, Lyralei did see her, but she did not approach. She simply shut one of her green eyes in a sly wink, the way she had done before. Traxex felt her heart skip a beat.

And then she started dancing. With the effortless grace of the wind itself she moved, unhindered, uncontrollable, free. She twisted and swirled without rhyme or reason, yet every step was as flawless as if it had been rehearsed a hundred times. She was a whirlwind of green and gold and red, dazzling in the light. She was incredible.

Traxex could not watch any longer. Without a word she stood and bolted for the exit. She vaguely recalled hearing Davion's voice call after her, but she didn't slow down.

In the darkness, her thoughts spinning out of control, Traxex once again found herself lost among the trees. She cursed at herself and at the night for being so foolish, for these feelings she could not control or understand, for coming to this place at all, and she began to weep.

She sat alone, crying in the darkness, for a long while, before a strange voice brought her back.

"Are you alright?"

Traxex jumped, and her eyes shot all around her, searching for the speaker, but there was no-one there.

"Don't be afraid," the voice said slowly, "I am right here, see?"

She squinted in the darkness and it dawned on her that she was, in fact, speaking to a tree. She could just make out a face, features made of bark and leaves. He spoke very slowly, in a deep, earthy voice.

"My name is Rooftrellen, I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but I was walking by and heard you crying."

"It's fine," she wiped her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Something tells me it is not fine."

There was a long silence, but it was clear that the tree was willing to wait as long as he had to. Finally Traxex blurted out:

"Nothing even happened! It's just… I can't…" Traxex shook with frustration at these emotions she could not put into words.

"It's not even important," she decided. "I'm just wasting time thinking about this."

Rooftrellen's leafy beard rustled. "Don't discount your feelings, child. Whatever it is you're going through is important to you, and so it is important."

The tree was silent for a moment, thinking.

"I have been here for a long, long time," he said. "I have seen many seasons pass, many students come and go. When you get to be as old as I am you learn that, in time, everything must come to an end. The good times, and the bad times."

Traxex broke down to tears once again. She cried until there were no tears left, and fell asleep there in the grass.

When Traxex awoke she was back in her room, safely tucked into bed. Rooftrellen must have carried her back. But how? She wondered.

"Oh good! You're finally up!" beamed Rylai from her desk. "You must have had a crazy night!"

She pulled her chair up next to Traxex's bed so that they were face to face.

"So? How'd it go?" she asked with glee.

"Um, it was… fine."

"Fine? Come on, give me some details!"

Traxex rubbed her eyes as the memories of the previous night slowly trickled back.

"Oh no, Davion. I left him!"

"What?"

"I left Davion alone at the bar."

"Why? What happened?"

"I… I just couldn't be there any longer."

Rylai frowned. "Well you better go talk to him, he's probably worried about you."

"Yeah… okay."

She did not have to search very far for Davion; he was waiting just outside of Eul's. He had a concerned expression on his face.

"Hey, Traxex. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Davion. Sorry to worry you."

"What happened last night?"

She took a deep breath and thought about what she would say.

"It was just all a bit much, I think. Listen, Davion, you've been so nice to me, and I really appreciate it. But…"

His face dropped. "Oh… I get it."

"I just got here, and I need some time to figure things out you know? I'm sorry."

Davion gave her a sad half smile.

"It's okay, I understand. I'll uh… I'll see you around Traxex."

Traxex felt terrible as she watched him walk away, but she did what she had to do. She promised herself that she would make it up to him one day, but for now she needed to get to class.

The girl has a long way to go.

We must all start somewhere, she just needs time.

We are out of time, Ezalor. We cannot place all of our hope in these children.

These children will one day be more powerful than any of us could ever hope to be.

That's what I'm afraid of.