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to
prepare her a rather lavish meal of “brain food”, as he
called it. He knew she would compete, and whether it was hopeless or
not, he would do all he could to help her see victory.
    “I was thinking,” he said,
not looking up from his own meal. “Those elvish children have a
lot of advantages over us folk,” he was beating around the
bush, she realized. “What with their money, trainin’ and
years. Heck,” he said with a chuckle, “when you were just
a girl competing on the exams, you were up against ones twice your
own age.”
    He wet his lips and didn’t pause
long enough for her to speak, “So I was thinkin’, Firia…
why not give you a lil’ advantage of your own, huh?” He
put down his fork, and she watched as he reached into the pocket of
his old, frayed beige sweater. What he pulled out then surprised her,
for it was something human families never really provided for their
children. No, it was far too rare and expensive to be spoiled on
their kind. Even ones who could afford it rarely could find a seller
willing to deal with their kind.
    Yet there it was, embedded in cloth: a
crystal ring.
    “Dad…” she couldn’t
help herself from saying, shock written all over her face.
    Crystals, real crystals, were so rare.
They helped focus a caster’s abilities, gave a great edge to
anyone who wore one and focussed their efforts upon it. No real
professional magic user ever went without one.
    She cursed herself as her eyes blurred
and she swatted it away. Was this why he never had money for food? “I
don’t know how you got this.” Her voice quivered as she
stared at it, then at him, a new affection warming her heart. She’d
never felt so… loved by him. So cared for.
    Her kindly father couldn’t help
but smile, and he got up from his seat and walked over to her. He put
his arms around her and hugged her, as he hadn’t done since her
mother had died. “Do it, sweetie,” he murmured to her.
“Show how much potential you’ve got, and make ‘em
have to claim you.”
    She managed to hold in her sob as her
hands went around his arms. “I will. I promise,” she
murmured softly.
    She had no idea how much he was rooting
for her, how much he wanted for her, and she was even more determined
to succeed.
    With a kiss to her dark hair, he pulled
back, and she saw his own eyes, red with moisture. “You’ll
do it. I know you will,” and she knew he had supreme confidence
in her.

Chapter 6
    The competition – for that is what it was – had the look of a county fair. The great tent
that swelled up to tremendous proportions, the banners that flowed in
the air representing the various academies, companies and interests.
It had a spirit of joviality about it. At least, elvish joviality.
    They were more formal than humans in
the day to day, but when they celebrated they were full of laughter
and song that was not tethered to sadness, as the lowly humans were.
    Firia had to press on towards the
scene, her heart beating fast. Though the elders were all in high
spirits from what she saw, the other students were mostly grim and
determined. Their elaborate elvish clothes – reminiscent of
what Varuj wore – looking so stiff on them as they all eyed the
competition.
    This would be but the first day of
trials, but she knew that the magical academies made their picks on
the first day then left, not wishing to make any further waste of
their professors’ precious time. The remainders were left for
lone sorcerers and trading companies to barter with. Or to simply go
home in defeat.
    The very first thing she couldn’t
help but notice was how so many of those long, ovaline elvish eyes
were upon her. She had been the only human they’d seen thus
far, and she stuck out.
    Yet she held her head high, despite the
fact that she wanted to run and hide. To get away from their stares
and scrutiny. She’d been such a loner for so long, though, it
was hard to be in the limelight. To know how closely she was