City of Mages: Signed Edition (Paperback, Hardcover)

Alara had never forgotten the smell of burning flesh. Smoky. Rich. Metallic. She felt it sear through her, filling her lungs, threatening to choke her as she watched the scene play out.

She had lit someone on fire—again.
This was how she would fail the Haven. Fail Emaru. Fail everyone.
Time seemed frozen in the moment her fire magia had reached out to spark the flames across Raquel’s tunic. The other magite stared, wide-eyed in horror as her sleeve was eaten into ash. Senye Emaru stood behind Alara, a firm hand on her shoulder, squeezing her hard enough to bruise.

She could have turned on her teacher. Yelled that it was her fault for pushing her— threatening to fail her out of school. But the councilwoman wouldn’t have even flinched under her verbal assault. She’d only give Alara the same look of icy disappointment she had given countless times before, whenever the girl had lost control of her magia.

So Alara did the one thing she trusted herself to do—she moved decisively forward, ripping off her thin leather vest and throwing it over Raquel’s arm before she even had time to scream. The heat and light of her magia immediately went out, throwing their small group back into darkness.

The night stilled again as they stared wide-eyed at Alara. It wasn’t the first time her magia had failed her or the group. But it was the first in a long time that she’d accidentally set fire to something while trying to use her mind-stalking ability. She knew what they were all thinking: even a seven-year-old would have had better control.

Raquel threw the singed vest at her feet. “Alara! What in El’dyo’s name is the matter with—”

“We will talk about what just happened later,” Emaru said, putting an end to Raquel’s complaints, though Alara knew her guardian and teacher was less pleased with her. Her was biting—more biting than the chilled mountain air. “But for now, I believe we have company.”

It didn’t take Alara’s mind-stalking abilities to know the enemy bruyas had spotted them and were headed straight toward their huddle. Their footsteps were soft but distinct in the silent night. The villagers of Hurazon had locked themselves away in their homes hours before, leaving Alara and the other magites guarding the perimeter in silence. It left the village eerie and quiet as they waited. Even the faint buzzing of insects was dampened by the thick air, soft and hushed. The plan had been to sneak up on the bruyas and surprise them as they attempted to raid the outskirts of the village. There had been reports of bruya sightings in the area for the past few months, and Emaru had taken on the task as a final test for the magites nearing graduation. This task would show their skill with magia, both in protecting the village and capturing the rebels, and prove that they deserved to join the ranks of full-fledged mages.

“For El’dyo!” Emaru said as the shadows in the cloud forest before them shifted.

The others repeated her words, raising their own weapons and arms. Alara threw her vest back on and snatched her wooden staff from the ground. The heat of her magia pulsed in her chest as if still trying to reach out to the smoldering remains of Raquel’s tunic. Their eyes met for only a second, and she saw a flash of fury. She would definitely hear about it later—she probably owed her a new tunic.

Alara was snapped from her thoughts as an arrow whistled by her head, thudding into a tree a few yards behind her. A moment later, the world exploded. Balls of flame met jets of water. Steam hissed and danced in the air as the two collided.