Cave of Nightmares by V. St. Clair Page B

centered around learning what the various different types of woods and levels are capable of. Some of you may show a natural aptitude for it, while others of you will be less successful,” he said without apology. “The most difficult part of any class, including mine, is not the rote memorization of facts and figures. The hard part will be during the arenas, when you are being relied upon to use your magic in a dangerous situation and you’ve got to work with what you have on hand.”
    He looked around at them all.
    “I’ve had level-five students whose knowledge abandoned them during that critical moment, and they failed when it mattered most.” He sighed. “That is why we have our challenge groups, to prepare you for the real world, so that you do not panic when it counts and get crushed beneath an elephant like Ulrich the Unwise.”
    Hayden still didn’t know exactly what the challenge groups were, but he was beginning to get nervous about it , though he also made a mental note to ask Zane about how Ulrich the Unwise got crushed beneath an elephant because it seemed worth knowing.
    Master Willow spent the rest of the lesson going over the many properties of birch and highlighting its general uses. Hayden had fo ur pages of notes by the time class was finished, and packed his bag with his head swimming with new knowledge.
    “You did well today, Hayden.” He didn’t notice Master Willow behind him until the Master spoke. He turned around, surprised.
    “Oh, thank you, sir,” h e responded, embarrassed but pleased.
    “Don’t dawdle or you’ll be late for your next class.”
    Hayden nodded and hurried out the door, retracing his steps back to the main foyer. His next lesson was Conjury, which was taught by Master Reede in the rear courtyard, which he hadn’t been to yet. It seemed impossible for there to be so many courtyards, shops, and cabins on all sides of the castle. Mizzenwald was like its own small town.
    He got lost twice looking for the back entrance to the grounds, but after he got the nerve to ask a group of sixth-year students where to go they pointed him in the right direction.
    I’m just glad I didn’t run into Oliver and his friends.
    He didn’t know what to expe ct from an outdoor class but was surprised by the wide expanse of smooth black stone floor he was confronted with in the middle of the grass. There were no chairs or desks, but large down-stuffed cushions had been set out around the perimeter of the strange black stone, where most of his classmates were now sitting.
    Hayden chose a seat directly in front of him, putting his back to the castle and unpacking his bag. He glanced at his neighbors to see wh ere they were in the textbook and opened his to page ten, examining the large drawing of a simple circle with one short line intersecting the bottom arc.
    Master Reede looked about the same age as Torin, though he was a bit shorter and much less stout. He wore his sandy hair in a long braid down his back and had what looked like a snake fang for an earring.
    “Did everyone read the text o n the basic summoning circle?” he said by way of greeting, standing in the middle of the stone rectangle and looking around at them all. His eyes rested on Hayden for a moment.
    “I haven’t, sir,” h e said apologetically.
    “Understood. Read it tonight and you should be fine,” Master Reede continued on. “The rest of you should have learned by now that the circle is the most basic element of conjury. He held up a pink piece of chalk. “Who wants to take a stab at drawing one?”
    A mousy-looking boy on the opposite side of the rectangle from Hayden volunteered, joining Master Reede in the center.
    “Alright then, draw us a circle on the floor…no, larger than that. Make it about three feet in diameter.”
    The reason for the smooth black stone became evident when Hayden saw how well it held the chalk drawing. It was even better than a giant blackboard.
    “Okay, now it’s my turn.”