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A dozen guards closed in.
Emiel watched in horror, they all did, while the soldiers beat Soren with their air-magic until he collapsed. Despite being cuffed and pummeled from every direction, he kept trying to stand.
A pair of soldiers sent more flames toward him—wrapping around his neck and ankles. They’d cuffed him entirely. Soren’s body finally curled on the marble floor, surrendering to each volatile strike after the next.
Thessa cringed, having never seen this use of force before. Air-magic couldn’t cut skin like fists or daggers, and perhaps that’d be Soren’s only mercy today, because they were going to kill him.
A soldier hauled Thessa back and she turned to see Leora being taken by another. She was pulled through the double doors just as Emiel’s head struck the marble floor. Air-magic had taken him out in one swift blow.
Thessa’s anger sparked. “Get your fire-paws off me and tell me where you’re taking us.” Seeing the soldiers abuse their magic fueled something monstrous inside her.
The hand clamped on Thessa’s shoulder dug in. “To the Records Department for sign out. Keep walking.” The soldier wasn’t much taller than her, but the female had arms meant for lumber.
Leora turned her head, trying to face the soldier shoving her along. “What’s going to happen to the males?”
“You heard the orders. Back to the dungeons.”
A moment later, tears fell down Leora’s cheeks.
Her guard snarled, “Now be silent, both of you.”
After passing through an endless hallway, they were escorted past a quartet of guards, and into the city services wing. Thessa spied the only bit of peace inside this entire marble fortress—the Solarium. Other than the Blood Moon Rituals performed there, it was left as an observatory for the witches of Andera. The room was magically warmed to support trees shipped in from the eastern continent, Sanabria.
Leora gasped when she saw them, mouthing the word, “palmae.”
The wide, light-green leaves were a far contrast from the stubby ones growing in Gravenport. Apart from the trees were florals, surrounding streams of water coursing through the entire room.
But the soldiers shoved them past it, under an archway, and into the Records Department. The space looked much like a library. The marble walls blended with wooden beamsand shelving, extending beyond view with too many aisles to count.
Thessa had been here before, many times. It was where she’d collected all her boarding assignments. Every witch in Andera had their own personal file as well; some were more useful than others. Hers had contained nothing but a birth scroll, her boarding assignments, and her Scroll of Achievement. Now, she was about to top off that list with a Seized & Dismissal Note.
The soldier behind Thessa reached around her and rang the bell aggressively, as if she had somewhere else to be.
A voice shouted from a distance, “Be right up!”
The records clerk was just another soldier.
After exchanging salutes, the guard on Leora’s back said, “Sign these two out, they’ve been dismissed from the court. There are no outstanding charges for their record.”
“Very well.” Retrieving a quill and parchment, the clerk reviewed their names, birth dates, and charges, then began to write.
Thessa’s mind shifted to the males. Emiel had done nothing. He’d submitted and still been struck down. And Soren … had he wanted to die? None of it made sense.
When the seized & dismissal notices were turned around, Thessa and Leora signed in agreement. Afterwards, the clerk retrieved their files.
“Skiafer and Saint Jamith.” The clerk smiled. “Thankfully your last names start with the same letter, otherwise I would’ve been running all over this place.”
Thessa wondered why one was so thick while he turned to emphasize the size of his department. Opening Thessa’s file first, the slim one, he tucked the notice inside.
As the clerk unstrung Leora’s file, letters flooded out. He picked one up, reviewing the markings inked along the topcorner. “This one came in from Chrisnol Academy two weeks ago, and Sanabria before that.” He gripped another. “This one came from Chrisnol Academy three weeks ago, and Sanabria before that.” He repeated similar details for the last and said, “Looks like these hit a dead end and have been stored here ever since.”
Leora eyed Thessa. “I never told my chancellor which carriage I planned to take. I didn’t decide on Mabelton or Greenshire until the very last minute, well, everything was last minute.” Leora’s warm eyes held surprise as the clerk passed the stack of letters towards her.
Thessa was relieved to see a glimmer of hope restored in her friend. She squeezed her hand and said, “I can take us out from here.”
“Ah, just one moment, here are your carriage tickets.” The clerk slid them over.
Leora grabbed both.