I fell hard, my palms slapping the ground and the rustle of small metal ringlets ringing in my ears. Moments later a spiraling torrent of ice slammed into the wall behind me, just inches from where my head had been. I barely had time to choke out a small gasp of relief and then I was on my feet, sprinting as fast as my legs could carry me.
I threw up a barrier behind me and prayed it would hold. It was a costly casting – something I usually didn't like to invoke since the sphere tended to drain my magic's stamina much faster than a shield. It was a combination of phantom currents: steel, wind, and crackling power all thrust into a giant purple globe. But I didn't have time to predict my pursuers' next casting – not while I was out in the open.
My feet pounded along cobblestone as I searched for a safe house, wishing desperately I had remembered Eve's instruction from earlier that morning. The mock battle had been going on for three hours and I already seemed to have forgotten most of our strategy.
"You can't run forever, Ryiah!" Laughter echoed down the street. I kept running.
Alex and the rest of his Restoration mates had spent twenty minutes going over the safe houses. Our signal was supposed to be a small splatter of mud at the bottom right corner of the doorway, inconspicuous to all except one who knew exactly what to seek… but try as I might I could not spot any in the buildings I passed.
I must have heard wrong.
I knew a safe house had to be somewhere close – just two shops further and I would be crossing into the northern half of the city where the mentors patrolled. At the start of our pre-battle planning the masters had assigned us the southern section. Which meant if I didn't pass a safe house soon I would be forced to turn back and face my two attackers alone. It was reckless to go into mentor territory, and there would be no help there.
If I found a safe house nearby I could get another Combat apprentice to help me take on my two followers. The houses here weren't just a haven for Restoration and mentees in need of healing, they were also where Alchemy and Combat mages could confer until they were ready to come back out of hiding. If I fought the mentors pursuing me now I would win - but it would cost almost all of my magic to do so. And who knew how much attention the attacks would draw. If more mentors spotted me I'd be forced to surrender in a second.
I needed help.
This was exactly what Eve had warned against. It was the reason she had asked us to patrol and scout in pairs. Our team was counting on the fourth-years mentees to secure victory – all but one of our Combat second-years had already surrendered during the first two hours of battle. More than ever we needed my magic.
The original plan had been for the Combat mentees to travel in packs of two: one fourth-year and one second-year each, with Eve, Darren and their second-year mentee as our sole grouping of three. We'd been instructed to carefully scout the city limits and take out any solo Combat mentors that might be foolish enough to enter the southern territory alone.
Unfortunately for us, the mentors had also traveled in packs. Which was how, when we did cross paths, Priscilla, Ella, Ray, and I lost our mentee partners as well as their horses in a lightning-quick skirmish.
Now we were all separated, scattered across the city, seeking the others we had lost track of before. I thought I'd seen Ella take off east – the direction I'd been heading in - but everything had happened so fast and I wasn't sure of anything anymore. I'd been cut off from the others when the third-years had caught up to me twenty minutes back. Theo and Merrick had refused to give up chase and I'd spent most of my energy ducking and dodging since.
There. I sprinted toward the doorway with the telltale sign. The casting I'd been holding onto was starting to give me a headache – I needed to end it now before I wasted any more of my magic. I dropped my casting just as I tore open the door to find Priscilla, two of Alex's Restoration mates, and Ruth staring wide-eyed at the street behind me.
"You idiot!" Priscilla screeched. "You led them right to us!" But before I could argue she had shoved her way past me and cast out a large assault of flying daggers. One of the mentor's own blade's caught her shoulder and the highborn swore loudly.
I stumbled back after her, panting heavily, and helped Priscilla's casting. One of the blades hit Theo's horse and it reared, throwing off its rider.