Chapter 11 : Almost Expunged ('lmost Expunged)

The next day was gloomy and gray; rain pelted the glass dome halfheartedly as though the clouds couldn't decide whether to douse the children or not. Broge had given her the envelope he'd used while buying her books and supplies. The school crest had a dolphin, a leopard, a stag and an eagle emblazoned on the envelope proclaiming "Sequere Veritatis Viam". It also contained the schedule of her classes. The school term had only begun a couple of days ago, (precisely on the night she'd been frog-marched through the Dining Hall), so it would be easy for her to catch up, which is what Broge had assured her. Never mind that the kids here had five extra years of magical education. Diana had never been afraid that she would be bottom of any class - till now.

The emerald green uniform actually suited her but then again, most clothes suited her. In this place inhabited by perfect creatures, that would not be a reason to stand out. The uniform consisted of a green top that came down to her knees, a pair of white leggings and a white sash that wound around her waist and tied at the side all with white trimmings. The male uniforms had drawstring shirts instead of the top and no sashes. The emblem of Annui, a green stag on white background was embroidered on the top.

She peered at her reflection in the dresser mirror. It was terrifying to think that, for the first time in a very long time, she would not be using her powers to influence those around her.

This is going to be a new beginning. Don't do anything stupid. She warned herself. Don't make friends, make acquaintances.

She filled her new book bag with her new supplies, sucked in a deep breath and walked outside her room immediately colliding with someone at the end of the corridor. The girl managed to stay upright but Diana fell on her bum. "Ow." Very smooth.

"Cin 're i fairui, 'ren't cin? Far i- 'ntrance cin 'ade tád 'ights io."

"What?"

"Nin est- na- Aletheia. 'ice na govannon- cin."

"Er, what?"

"Oh. You don't understand Elvish........ I'm Aletheia." The young elf held out her hand and helped her up.

"Hello Aletheia." Diana greeted the young, slim elf in front of her. Aletheia's blonde hair was cut in a pixie style that made her sharp features stand out. Despite her diminutive appearance, Diana felt that this was a girl who could take care of herself.

"Are you in sixth year?"

"Yes."

"Had any breakfast?"

"No."

"Come on then. Let's go down to the Dining Hall. I'm famished." Aletheia smiled and linked her hand through Diana's elbow pulling her to through the corridor. Diana was startled by her over-friendliness but did not pull her hand away. She was nervous about breakfast and rightly so because as soon as she walked into the Dining Hall, there was a hush followed by a tornado of whispering. She kept her head down as she walked to a table that Aletheia chose barely noticing the section of the glass dome above that provided a vivid, unbroken view of the storm clouds.

The smooth, round wooden table bore silver cutlery and a revolving screen in the centre that displayed a menu. The delicacies on the menu popped in and out of existence in the display plates surrounding the menu. As Diana watched, a plate of rich, fat sausages melted away only to reform into a decadent mound of waffles. Just as she was about to reach the table, a whoosh of white and brown startled her.

"What's that?!"

"Oh don't worry about it. It is just the condiments."

Diana observed the fluttering white winged horse that pulled something like Santa's sleigh through the air containing small salt and pepper shakers and other tiny multi-coloured jars. Diana saw that several such horses were flying above tables responding to the calls of the students.

Aletheia observed the menu. "Hmmm...... I feel like pancakes today...... Blueberry pancakes," she said clearly. Immediately, blueberry pancakes filled her plate dripping in syrup. "Aw no. Raspberry pancakes." The blueberry pancakes were replaced at once with raspberry pancakes that looked equally delicious. "Huh I don't know....... Maybe strawberry pancakes." Strawberry pancakes appeared, with diced strawberries crowded on top. "Uh........" The pegasus flew by her head neighing in aggravation as though saying "Make up your mind already!"

"All right! All right! Chocolate pancakes." And the dish appeared with glazed chocolate syrup on the side.

"Whoa!" said Diana as Aletheia doused her pancakes in chocolate. "I salute whoever works in your kitchens." She picked the first thing off the menu - Toast and eggs - and settled down for a hearty breakfast. Once most of the students got tired of staring at her, Diana looked around with interest at the young elves.

"Aletheia, what do the colours of our uniform stand for?"

"They signify the houses, Forodren - brown - Haradren - ocher - Runen - blue - and Annui - us. They're-" She stopped short and stared at the huge clock that hung above the teachers' tables. "We're going to be late!" She leapt to her feet and dragged Diana to their first class ignoring the whispers buzzing around them as they hurried through the corridors. "The first thing you want to know about Spellmanship class is that you cannot be tardy. Hiril Nadia once made Tarron polish all the instruments in the astronomy tower for being ten minutes late."

Inside the classroom, they watched the strict teacher setting up a number of objects on her table - leaves, flowers, dirt, candles, wind chimes (suspended in mid-air), cockroaches in a jar and several things that didn't seem to have any relation at all. As she straightened up, Diana observed her and her first thought was that she would never be late for this class. Hiril Nadia had long straight brown hair that she'd pulled into a bun so tight, Diana was surprised it didn't hurt her scalp. Her young face looked much older due to her severe expression, a slight limp and a walking stick that seemed to threaten a good wack for disobedient students. Silvanus walked in and chose the seat next to Diana greeting her with a small smile that she politely returned. She noticed that a flutter had come over the class at his entrance. Several of the students (especially girls) turned to stare at him all starry-eyed.

"Spellsmanship is not a based on memorizing a number of words and uttering them randomly." Hiril Nadia began. "It's a subtle art in which you understand the connection between power within yourself, the words you speak and the action that you wish to perform with that power. Each of you would have an affinity to a kind of matter in the universe: that would be your element. Your spells would be most powerful when related with that element. Some of you must be knowing your element by now but for those who do not, step forward in a single file and see what calls out to you." She gestured to the table. Diana noticed that she was deliberately speaking English and not Elvish.

Diana raised her hand gingerly. "Uh- Hiril, does it apply to fairies as well."

"Yes, Miss Diana. Or I would have specified otherwise. Spellmanship would be similar for you as for the elves, though of course, fairies are known to be more powerful at it. Mind you, for fairies, the power is matched by volatility. So you shall need more control than the others in this class."

Diana gulped.

Soon, there was a small line of elves in front of the table followed by Diana. Neither Silvanus nor Aletheia got up to join her, evidently aware of their own elements. A blonde elf with pigtails stepped forward anxiously and held out her hand. For a second, nothing happened, then, the mound of earth on the table swirled and gusted into her palm.

"Very well. Next."

One by one the elves walked forward and held their hands out. For some, the cockroaches flew around the jar making Diana cringe, for others the metal pieces on the table molded into abstract forms, for some nothing happened and they returned to their seats disappointed. At last, Diana stepped forward and nervously held her hand out. The candle flame grew larger and brighter; a thin trickle moved towards her and hovered like a ball above her palm. The cockroaches didn't like the brightness and they started to fly around the jar violently knocking it to the ground where they shattered. Diana shrieked! The point of light returned to the flame. But instead of crawling, the cockroaches lay on the ground unmoving. Dead. Every living thing on the table, the grass, the flowers, the fruits wilted and withered. Even the wind chimes stood still. Hiril Nadia stared at Diana aghast, before pulling her expression together. She calmly waved her hand and everything was restored to normal. Except the cockroaches which were now lying lifeless inside the mended jar.

"Whoa what was that?" said Aletheia as they walked towards their next class. The rest of the class had passed fairly normally, if you call chanting "Dar" to make a falling needle stop mid-air normal.

"I have no idea. I've always been able to do that to candles but the other stuff....."

"Now we don't know what kind of fairy you are!"

"My mother was the fairy of light. Maybe that's why I could affect the candle."

"No, that doesn't guarantee that you are a fairy of light. Sometimes, the same element passes over from generation to generation, but it is not a conclusive measure. Your element is based on your personality more than your ancestry."

Diana mulled this over while they trotted off to Cartography. Aletheia was obviously very popular - people kept waving 'Suilad' to her and then gawking at Diana. Herdir Yanus, who took Cartography was a short, fat little man who wore a round safari hat. His clothes were more pockets than cloth containing every instrument related to the outdoors. He lugged in a barrel of sand and emptied it on his table. "Suilad! 'veryone 'xcited na 'earn sír!" He smiled broadly at the children.

Diana raised her hand. "Um- Herdir, could you please take the lesson in English. I-I don't know Elvish - yet." The fat man peered at her closely before exclaiming in delight. "But of course, you are the fairy! I shall speak in English for you, Miss-."

"Diana."

"Now let's see the map of Vorantia!" He clapped his hands together in delight. He looked so much like an overgrown baby that several elves sniggered. "Come closer." He urged and they all crowded around the table to watch the sand arrange itself into a three dimensional diorama of Vorantia. The sand swirled like liquid where rivers flowed by and compressed themselves into tiny toy buildings that showed the market, residences and Realta Ban palace itself surrounded by dense forests. It was a lot smaller than Diana had imagined a kingdom would be.

"Herdir, what about the other parts of Vorantia?" A sandy haired elf in blue uniform asked. "We cannot be sure of the other parts anymore." The teacher's tone turned grave. "The war has changed much. But in earlier years, it looked like this." He waved his hand again and the sand dissolved and reformed into a much larger area. "Forodren Mons, the Northern Mountains," he pointed out and the words formed in brown ink hovering on top of the northern mountains on the diorama. "Haradren Paen, the Southern Plains (ocher words appeared to the south), Runen Ravel, the Eastern Rivers (the words were blue in the east) and Annui Foraoise, the Western Forests (emerald green words wrote themselves in the west)."

So that's the how the houses have been decided.

************************

At lunch, which was dominated by an epic head-butting contest of the salt and pepper shakers, Aletheia's friends joined them at the table. "Genevieve, Arion, Gemino and Gemina" introduced Aletheia while Diana murmured "Hi" with a small smile. "So you are from Earth," observed Arion, a brownish-burgundy haired elf wearing thickset glasses and blue uniform.

"Yes."

"Did your guardian keep you prisoner? Did Herdir Broge bust you out of there?"

"Gosh no! Wherever did you get that idea? My dad is the kindest person you'd ever meet."

"Forgive him," said Genevieve, a pretty, kind-faced girl with wavy auburn hair wearing the blue uniform of the rivers. "We know very little about how humans are now. All we've learnt is from History class, about the time when elves lived on Earth. And the humans of those times were vicious."

"Barbaric," nodded Gemino not noticing that his sister was drenching his chicken with chili sauce instead of ketchup. Gemino and Gemina were twins so identical that if they did not speak, it would be impossible to tell them apart. Both of them wore their brown curly hair short and were clad in the brown uniform of the mountains.

"No no. Humans are normal; there are good ones and bad ones. There are criminals and police. Just like you guys. Except that they can't do magic."

"Ah not quite like us then." Arion threw her a superior look. "You see, we don't have criminals in Vorantia."

"You're joking, right? Every place has criminals."

"Not this place, fairy. We haven't had a crime committed by an elf for centuries. All crimes in Allohara are perpetrated by the cursed davizae."

"You're telling me not even a purse has been snatched in this place for centuries?"

"Yes Diana. We are an advanced society. We are above such deceit and deceptions. Despite the war, we have prosperity and plenty. Why should there be crime in a content kingdom?" said Gemino sagely, taking a bite of his chicken. "Gemina!" He yelped, his eyes watering almost immediately because of the sauce. While he told off his sister, Diana brooded over the grimy face of the young elf in the marketplace.

These people have a very different idea of prosperity and plenty.

But before she could press the point, the bell rang and they all scrambled to get to their next class. Diana felt like she'd walked into a hospital as soon as she stepped into the classroom. The room was entirely white-tiled with granite black-topped tables and attached sinks. Small burners, test-tubes, beakers and other apparatus were displayed on a shelf behind the teacher's desk. A nasty looking green liquid bubbled in a beaker on the teacher's table, while the teacher herself stood with her back to the class, her nose burrowed in a thick leather-bound book. Alchemy was a new subject for all of them so Diana was determined not to be left behind at least in this class. The teacher turned around........... and Diana gasped.

For she had found the one ugly toad in this pond of graceful cranes. The teacher was a slightly hunched with sallow green-tinged skin that seemed like it had never seen sunlight. Her hair was curly and poking in every direction like she'd been recently electrocuted. Silence fell in the class as she inspected them with narrowed eyes.

"I am Hiril Cirilla and you would be learning Alchemy in this class. Who can tell me what it means?"

There was a long tense silence. Just to break the uncomfortable silence, Diana raised her hand. "I've heard that it is the art of converting metal from one form to another." Everyone cringed.

"What a crude answer! Of course, I could not expect less from a fairy raised on Earth." Hiril Cirilla sneered. "Alchemy is transmutation! The noble forerunner of all experimentation. In this class, you will learn the mysteries of the matter that makes up the world; you will hold power itself in the palm of your hand. Or at least, those who possess a certain level of intelligence would. For the others, I'm afraid there's not much I can do with stupidity"

Aletheia whispered furiously from the corner of her mouth. "I didn't know she was going to take this class or I'd have warned you earlier. She hates fairies. Rumor is that a fairy cursed her ancestors with green skin." Diana giggled, unable to stop herself. This couldn't be true!

"Miss Diana!" thundered Hiril Cirilla. Her skin had darkened a shade greener. "Do you think my class is funny?"

Diana stood up at once making her best contrite expression. "N-No Hiril."

"Do you think I'm speaking something funny?" She tipped the poisonous-looking liquid into a container and walked right up to Diana.

"N-No Hiril."

"Do you think I am funny?" Her face was so close to Diana that she count her dark green freckles.

"No Hiril."

"Then drink to my health," she said, handing her the container, smiling malevolently. Diana trembled. Surely, this teacher couldn't be allowed to punish students this way. Maybe the liquid was benign and she was just trying to scare her. Diana slowly brought it to her lips waiting for someone to intervene. Just before she could drink it, Hiril Cirilla snatched it away.

"This is an Expunger." She held up the container for all to see. "It would erase one's memories starting from the most recent and would impact the ability of the brain of creating new memories. The hippocampus is section of your brain that converts short-term memory to long term ones. This elixir will stunt the working of the hippocampus permanently. Miss Diana, you have narrowly escaped spending the rest of your life as a 3 year old with pig tails. So the next time you want to giggle like one, stifle it!"

Diana sat down stunned.

This was going to be a very, very, very long class.