What's Going On 3

Bang!

Sky jumped as her door crashed open. Instructor Drakkon stumbled into the room, saw her, and froze.

His eyebrows shot up; his eyes opened so wide the whites were visible all around the pupil; his mouth fell open; he made a sound like all the air had left his lungs.

Sky looked at him in confusion.

Something creaked next to and above her. She turned to look as the corner of the ceiling above her bed crumpled even further with another creak. Instructor Drakkon's shout of "Get away from there!" was all the warning she got but it was enough. Sky jumped back just as the ceiling caved in with a terrific Roar. The taste of charred wood filled Sky's nose and mouth.

She felt a tug on her hand and looked down to see that Instructor Drakkon had grabbed it. He started to run, pulling her along.

"What's going on?" The darkness from her rooms had penetrated through to the hallway. Even though it was lit by the unshielded crystals, it was still dark as if it were hazy.

"The roof's about to cave in."

"Why, what's happened?" Sky could see a pile of something down the hall.

"Now's not the time."

Boom! Sky turned around with wide eyes and looked behind her. A blackened section of the hallway ceiling lay on the floor, having just collapsed. Instructor Drakkon stopped.

In front of them, blocking the path to the stairwell was a pile of darkened beams and smoking thatch. The scent of burning tinder wafted through the air.

"Climb over and go down to the second floor landing. I'll be down in a minute. Hurry, this flight of stairs is wooden." Instructor Drakkon ordered distantly. He had turned around and was beginning to move back down the hallway.

"What?"

"Just go!" He shouted. Sky watched as he ran about halfway down the hall and threw himself at a door on the left. He disappeared into the room as dark cloud exploded into the hall.

Sky clambered over the rubble and ran down the stairs. She had to jump one as it had dropped to the flight below.

She got down to the second floor and waited as she was told.

Ten minutes later she heard a terrific thud followed by running footsteps coming down the stairs. Instructor Drakkon appeared with the bodies of two females slung over his shoulders. Their clothes were blackened and had given way in places. Their skin that was visible was shiny and red in the places where it wasn't black. To Sky's horror, Instructor Drakkon unceremoniously dumped them on the hard stones of the floor.

"Alright," He said turning to her. "What's wrong?" Sky blinked rapidly for a moment.

"Uh- well- nothing."

"Liar. Obviously, you are upset by something. I am willing to listen to help you calm down." Instructor Drakkon said this like it was some magnanimous gesture on his part. Sky's chin shot upward as her face reddened.

"I don't want to talk about it. I want to go. Outside. Far away. To anywhere but here." Instructor Drakkon stared at her, a frown on his lips.

"How will you learn to defend yourself then?"

"I have four books. Once I finish them, I will trade them for others. I refuse to stay here and be a prisoner for even one more minute." She turned and began to march away. Her confusion about what was going on was forgotten in her anger. Instructor Drakkon jumped into her path.

"No, you cannot go outside like this."

"Like what?"

"You are flaming. Your body is wrapped in fire. If you go outside like this, the Chancellor will blame you for the fire and sell you into slavery to pay for the building to be repaired." Sky stared at him.

"I'm not burning."

"Yes, when you are flaming, you are one with the element of fire. True masters of this ability can even shed their physical bodies. It is a very useful skill, but that is besides the point. The point is you need to stop, and you cannot because you are angry. Now, why do you think you are a prisoner?" Sky stared at him with round, bright eyes for a moment. Then she shook her head as she remembered he asked her a question.

"Aven has kept me locked in my room since he came and took me out of class." Instructor Drakkon's expression became puzzled. "All he keeps telling me is that it isn't safe for everyone else if I leave."

"Look, you are out of your rooms now, and I will make sure he doesn't do that again, okay? I promise so think about that and try to calm down." Sky did as she was told. Slowly, she felt her anger ebb away as she focused on her breathing. "Now try to release your magic." Instructor Drakkon said softly. Sky saw in her mind the shattered remains of her mental barrier separating her from her fire magic. She concentrated on pushing the fire magic in her body back to its well. Then she reimagined her barrier, a tall, wide, fan shaped box enclosing the well once again. "Good."

Sky looked up at Instructor Drakkon and saw he was wearing a small smile. She blanched; She'd never seen him smile before.

"Let's go outside. Aven was extremely worried about you. He sent me in to rescue you."

"What about them?" Sky asked gesturing to the two unconscious women on the floor. Their chests were moving slightly, so they were obviously not dead. Instructor Drakkon gave them a brief glance.

"I cannot take them outside. I will tell Mia, our school's Chief Healer, that they are here, and she will send someone in to take care of them. Now come on." Instructor Drakkon promptly began walking down the stairs. Sky hurried to keep up with him. It had become very warm in the building without her magic surrounding her.