Perched from atop a towering redwood, four teens eyed an island at the center of a particularly wide section of the Aeries.

  “Do you think it's clear, Michel?”

  “Not sure,” said the short-haired boy, who must have been about fifteen or sixteen. Peering through a narrow part in the tree’s foliage from their vantage point, he turned to the rest of his team. “I can’t see anyone, at least.”

  The tiny, pebbly island they watched had already seen two teams clash. The confrontation ended abruptly when one of the two teams ensnared the other with some kind of nature spell.

  Stuck, unable to move, and watching the opposing team wandering straight toward the exam objective when they had come so close to claiming it as their own had been too much. One member of the team lost their cool and cast some kind of wide-area acidic spell at the opposing team before they reached the objective.

  That was the end for both teams. Government mages appeared within seconds, disqualifying the attacking team and recurring the wounded one—forcing them to forfeit.

  It seemed unfair. Surely, government mages nearby could heal the team and allow them to reenter the exam. However, chances were, even though the other team had broken a rule, they had still failed to defend themselves—proving themselves unworthy.

  “Curses, I just can’t see enough from here,” Michel huffed. “We need to get closer.”

  “Wel, what are we waiting for? Let's go. We've been sitting here for almost two hours now. Do you want to just wait until another team comes and steals the objective from under our noses?”

  “Of course not. I'm just trying to be cautious. You saw those other teams. A little recklessness, and now both of them are out. Unlike you guys, if I fail this exam, my dream is over.”

  “Cautious mages become clerks and government lackeys. That's what my dad always says,” Ike said, arms crossed.

  “Ah, go easy on him, Ike. Michel has a point. The rest of us are fifteen and will be able to apply for the next examination,” a short, curly-haired girl said.

  “We can’t do this in fear, Bandy. We’re just setting ourselves up for failure that way.”

  “Fine,” Michel said, jumping down from his lookout among the branches.

  “Michel, you don’t–

  “It’s fine, Bandy. He’s right. Cautiousness will just get us to fail slowly. Just don’t break any rules, okay? Now let's go get this carapace.”

  “That’s more like it,” Ike nodded approvingly.

  ***

  Arix had taken to holding his bow nocked at the ready as they walked through the forest. Even though they were prohibited from attacking other groups, plenty of other dangers existed. Besides, it made him feel comfortable.

  Ever since he reviewed the list of objectives up for grabs, Arix had tightened up. Demonic botflies weren’t the only dangerous things on the list. Monsters, traps, and even magical constructs were listed as collectible objectives for the participants.

  Measures were taken to prevent fatalities, but like the clipped botflies, most couldn’t be guaranteed. The only real exception was the constructs since they were crafted and controlled by the government mages and could be ordered not to kill.

  Still, none of that comforted Arix much. Ellie would have been similarly worried, no doubt, but her lingering anger seemed to dampen her fear.

  Vae had already proven valuable and reliable, but Kal kept a cautious eye on him. He hadn’t met anybody his age who was as fearless as well… himself. But unlike himself, Kal presumed that Vae wasn’t a reincarnated adult. He was just a remarkably brave teen.

  “How old are you anyway?” Kal asked as they made their way through the thinnest sections of underbrush, occasionally swiping away bush with his sword.

  “Me? Fourteen,” Vae said proudly.

  “So, you are the same age as us.”

  “I’m a little short, I’m aware,” Vae smiled politely.

  Kal wondered if he would have been as confident and fearless as Vae when he was fourteen. He doubted it. The boy didn’t seem worried at all, and based on the spells he had seen from Vae so far, he didn’t seem to have an obvious reason for being so confident. As cool as his Puppet Hand spell was, it wasn’t offensive or defensive, at least not in a traditional sense. Kal was fairly certain it wouldn’t help that much if a dangerous monster jumped out suddenly.

  “I wasn’t–”

  “It’s absolutely fine, Kal. I’m well aware of my short stature. It’s precisely the reason I want to prove myself and why you don’t see any glyph-inscribed items on me. Despite my lineage, it has caused others to look down on me as I hit my adolescence. My nursemaid tells me not to worry and that I likely just haven’t reached my growth spurt yet, but I’m not willing to risk chance. I will prove to everyone that I don’t need magic items or high-blooded nobles to help me. I can do it alone. If I happen to hit a spurt later, then all the better.”

  “So, that’s why you wanted to join our team?”

  “Partially,” Vae admitted. “But also because I believe in your talent, Kal. It was fated that you’re not from a noble house yourself.”

  Okay, that makes a little more sense.

  “Well, it’s good to have you aboard,” Kal smiled.

  “Glad to be here,” Vae nodded.

  As they neared the Aeries, the trees began to thin, and Kal spotted the lush river's reflective blue through the bush.

  The river bulged in an almost lake-like fashion where they were. Several tiny, pebbly beaches dotted the water, most barely big enough to house a tree or two. The thick-rooted trees that did take root atop the islands spread out with wide branch systems, mangrove-like roots, and ribbons of leaves that dangled down into the water. Ducks and strange, black and white birds on stilted legs, which Kal couldn’t recognize, stalked the water, shooting their spear-like beaks into the shallows as they stepped. A fishing canoe lazily drifted by; its occupants stretched out under straw hats with rods anchored beneath their arms.

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  This has to be it, Kal mused, taking in the scene.

  Rooted at the heart of the river’s widest section was the largest of the tiny islands. Narrow, pebbly banks bordered the tiny island while trees and eroded boulders crowded what little space it had left.

  “Seek me at the heart of the land, between where waters stretch and shores expand?” Kal recited as they pushed through the forest's edge and onto the Aerie’s pebbled banks. “If I had to guess, that’d be it,” he added, pointing at the island.

  “Agreed, quite an astute guess,” Vae nodded, following Kal’s gaze to the island.

  “What, that island all the way out there?” Ellie said, pointing at the little island. “We barely managed to get across the river when it was only a fraction of that distance. There’s no way that arrow trick is working for this.”

  “She’s correct,” Vae said. “I doubt our friend can fire that far.”

  “Yeah,” Arix nodded. “There’s no way, not even with the help of Empower.”

  “So, we can think of something else,” Kal said. “We’re not one trick ponies. I’m sure a little water isn’t going to stop a group of future mages.”

  “He’s right,” Vae agreed. “A mage should be resourceful.”

  Let me think…

  Kal crooked his head as he stared out across the water. His brow raised as he spotted a tiny, blurred figure drifting across it.

  Another fishing boat?

  “Hey, what is that,” Arix murmured.

  “It looks like a leaf,” Vae said.

  Kal turned to the young noble and spotted a silver shimmer in his eyes.

  “Farsight,” Vae flashed a smile. “The spell allows me to see amazing distances. You didn’t think I only had a single spell in my arsenal, did you, Kal?”

  Right, Vae isn’t just some kid who learned magic scrolling through his father’s library. He’s the scion of a powerful and influential noble family. I’m willing to bet he knows more than just two spells.

  “Of course not,” Kal awkwardly grinned. “But what did you mean by leaf?”

  “Oh, right,” Vae said, looking back toward the river. “There appears to be a team sailing across the water atop a giant leaf.”

  Wait, giant leaf? Kal remembered the girl in the preliminary exams who had summoned a giant leaf. It was a poignant reminder that spells often had more than one use; you just had to get creative.

  “So, I’m guessing they’re going to the island?” Kal asked.

  “Sure looks like it,” Vae replied.

  “What now?” Ellie said. “There’s no way we can beat them to it. We don’t even know how we’re getting across it.”

  “We could try taking the objective from them after they return to shore,” Vae shrugged.

  “No thievery,” Kal reminded Vae. “At least not unless we get desperate, and it’s only the first day.”

  “What about offering a trade for one of the botflies?” Arix said.

  “Yeah, I doubt somebody is trading a 60-point one-of-a-kind objective for one of our botflies,” Kal said. “I guess we move on to something else,” he added with a deflated sigh.

  “Wait,” Vae said. “It looks like another team is coming in after them.”

  “What, like a mage fight?” Arix said, eyes widening.

  “Is it safe for us to be here?” Ellie took a step back.

  “They can’t hurt us, remember,” Kal said. “I’m sure nobody wants to get themselves disqualified.”

  “It appears as if they jumped from one of the taller trees,” Vae continued.

  While most of the redwoods were within the grove, many were scattered throughout the forest, and occasionally, the giants climbed far above the canopy, dwarfing their neighbors.

  “What do you mean jumped from a tall tree?” Ellie demanded.

  “I believe it’s their cloak. In all likelihood, it is using glyphs. It appears the cloak has become a glider, allowing them to gently sail down along the winds toward the island.”

  Bursts of water began to explode across the river’s surface all around the distant silhouette.

  “What’s going on now?” Kal asked.

  “It appears that the team flying with the cloak is shooting at the water around the leaf—perhaps it's the common spell Pressure Canon. It’s a weak, first-circle spell that produces a powerful pressure burst. Good for pushing someone or something away from you. Evidently, also good at making water explode into rain.”

  “That’s sure is one way to get around directly attacking other mages,” Arix said, watching as another burst of water filled the air.

  “The flying team has circled past now and dropped something on the island… Wait, it’s their teammates.”

  “Hey Kal,” Ellie said. “I know we want to avoid stealing. I agree, but if these guys are attacking each other, maybe we should make an exception. Like, doesn’t that make them the bad guys?”

  “The moody one has a point,” Vae shrugged.

  “Hey!”

  “Perhaps,” Kal interrupted before another fight could brew. “But it’s not that simple, nor morale. Justification is one thing, but what if they’re from important families? Is 60 points worth making powerful enemies over? We already know they have at least one magical item.”

  “Kal also has a good point,” Vae shrugged. “However, don’t go giving too much value to a single magical item. Many mages come from magical lineage, and their parents often hand down items when their children take on the examinations.”

  Really? Where was my hand-me-down, Daedrik?

  “Right,” Kal nodded to Vae. “However, is shooting the water near another team even a bad act? They haven’t actually stolen from one another; they are simply using their magic to get ahead of another group. Wouldn’t we do the same to win an objective?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Ellie slumped.

  “It’s fine, Ellie. We’ll get the points we need,” Arix said.

  “Looks like the rest of the cloak team has made it to the island. They appear to be searching for the objective,” Vae continued. “The leaf sailing team is also about to reach the island.”

  “So, two hostile groups, neither of which are allowed to attack each other, are about to be stuck on the same tiny island?”

  “It looks like it,” Vae replied. “But only the team who glided down to the island will be stuck unless they have something else up their sleeve. The other team has their leaf.”

  “Wait, maybe we do still have a chance to get something out of this,” Kal mused.

  “Oh?” Vae raised a brow.

  “Keep an eye on who scores the objective,” Kal said.

  “And we have a winner,” Vae said a moment later. “Team gliding cloak has scored the objective. We also have a standoff from the looks of it.”

  “Good,” Kal nodded.

  “Out with it, Kal,” Ellie said. “What’s the big plan?”

  “We still need to see how this pans out. However, think about it. We’ve got plenty of demonic botflies to go around, and they have one objective between them. Ours might be worth less, but if the cloak-gliding team is stuck on the island, perhaps we can negotiate.”

  “If only we had something to negotiate with,” Ellie countered. “We can’t get to the island either, remember?”

  “Yes, but the other teams still have their floating leaf, right? If we can get both sides to agree, we can easily spare two botflies for one carapace.”

  “Not a terrible idea. But how exactly do you plan on talking to them from here?” Vae said.

  “Yeah, well… I’m still stuck on that problem,” Kal admitted.

  “That’s just as bad as not having a boat!” Ellie said.

  “There has to be a way?” Arix said.

  “Maybe we could get their attention,” Kal mused allowed.

  “Yeah, well, come up with an idea then,” Ellie crossed her arms.

  “Arix,” Kal said. “You might not be able to shoot a rope all the way to the island, but what about a note?”

  “A note?” Arix crooked his head. “Yeah, maybe,” he said contemplatively.

  “Ellie, you got something in the pouch?”

  “Give me a minute,” she said, pulling a paper from the Astral Pouch and a quill. “So, we’re just going to straight out ask them for the carapace in return for two botflies?”

  “May as well,” Kal shrugged.

  “Hmm, bold,” Vae thoughtfully placed his index against his chin. “I like it.”

  “Should I fire now?” Arix said as Ellie handed back the note with the arrow.

  “Wait a moment,” Kal said. “Let’s give them a little time to stew on their situation.”

  “What if they end up coming to an agreement among themselves?” Ellie said.

  “I doubt they will unless the other team has another objective to offer, and the likelihood of others collecting objectives as fast as we have seems low,” Kal said.

  “I hope you’re right, Kal Jakari,” Vae said. “It’s quite the gamble.”