Tales Of Lola The Black (3 page)

She was safe but Master Perim and his apprentice were difficult. Training in the arts of fire was rough. Her body endured much pain and burns.
Her fellow apprentices would challenge her but Lola strived and never gave up. Perim would make them duel with fire magic, mercilessly. Lola’s power increased every day and surpassed many of the apprentices in the mansion. Thirty of them and all came to respect her. Four years training under the arts of fire with Master Perim. She became his favorite student, so much that one day he made her an offer she could not refuse. He told Lola that she would have to leave the mansion unless she gave herself to him every night. Many of the apprentices wanted Lola out of the mansion and Perim would only reject their request if Lola did as he told her. Of course she agreed. Where would she go? The mansion was the only place she knew. The only home she ever had after the chancellor took her father’s land. Lola hated Perim ever since.

I will kill him with my new powers
, Lola thought
. He will pay for what he did to me. I am no longer his. I am free and more powerful than ever. I will strike when the time is right and those who made me suffer in this mansion as well. That means you Lynn.
Lola and Dougal walked between statues shaped like the knights of North Alexandria
.
Studded steel armor with spikes running along the upper body. Helmets shaped like a dragon’s head, spears on the left hand and right hands on the hilt of their swords that hanged from their waist. The autumn leaves fell on the statues from the tall oaks above. The leaves dance around Lola as they fell. She caught one and stared at it. She then looked down at Dougal walking by her side and smile.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Nothing. Just memories.” She answered. After they passed the statues they then walked on the path of the vast front courtyard. The trees grew tall and some had naked branches. Fireflies flew in the night and their small light was enough to brighten the whole yard. The path was made of round cobble stones. Red roses danced with the wind in the garden by the front of the mansion. The scent in the air was a fresh vanilla that reminded Lola of snowy winter nights. The mansion seemed a mile far from the entrance. Perhaps it was the large field between the entrance and the mansion that made it seem so vast and spacious like a coliseum of grass and flowers. Lola always found it odd that Master Perim kept flowers in his yards being a fire magus but she was also suspicious of him knowing more than one elemental art of magic.

Up ahead
Lola saw the front large door of the mansion. It had a glass stained window with crucifix. Lynn waited by the door with the other four apprentices. Suddenly the door burst open startling Lynn and the others. Out came a tall man of blonde hair. His hair was so blonde and vivid that it almost seemed white. His nose was a beak pointing down. He was clad in black, red and orange. Lola remembered who he was right away at first sight. He was one of Perim’s high magus. Those who have reached a mastery level don’t use rods or wands to perform magic. He walked towards Lola with a scowl. Behind him more apprentices of Perim followed him. They were all in robes and tunics, mostly reds, gradients of orange colors and different shades of black. They wielded a rods except the one of blonde hair. Kasco was his name, Lola remembered. She never had faced him in a duel when she trained with them but she had seen his magic. His spells were explosive. She once feared him but now she was ready to take on him or all of them if they were to challenge her.

They all wore a headband that held an onyx gemstone. They marched out of the mansion following Kasco. Their boots thumped on the cobblestone. Lola took a deep breath and gripped her rod tightly.

“You must have nerves of steel to show your face around here.” Kasco told her as he came closer.

“I wish that were true.” Lola responded with a cocky tone in her voice and a wide smirk. “High magus Kasco. You don’t seem so happy to see. I thought we were on goods terms despite
of all that had happened three years ago.”

Kasco stopped just about a dozen feet away from Lola. She took that offensively as if she reek
s so much he dare not go near.
“On good terms?” Kasco spat on the cobblestone path of the courtyard. “The chaos you left before your sudden departure is not something one simply forgets. You and your little horned pet caused Master Perim fortunes and shook the trust that the king had on our organization. You put us at risk.”

“All I wanted was freedom.” Lola snarled before Kasco could go on. “
I do not regret what I did three years ago and I do not expect you to forgive me nor do I expect you to understand. I came here to speak to Master Perim. I do not wish to cause any trouble. Once my mission here is accomplished I will leave and you won’t have to see my face here anymore.”

Only the sound of the wind blowing was heard in the night. Kasco breathe deeply as if he
struggles to hold his anger. His eyes narrow and would not take his eyes of Lola. He leered her like a fiend but Lola did not fear him. In fact she was so eager to use her new powers she was hoping Kasco would snap. She has eager to burn him with her fire for so long. Not just him but many of Perim’s apprentices. Those who stood behind Kasco leered her as well.

“He does not
want to see your face. Lola Raven.” Kasco said.

“It is Lola T
he Black now. Memorize it.” Lola corrected him with a smile on her face that seemed to make Kasco seethe even more with anger.

“He wants you dead.” Kasco
stated, his voice cold.

“Actually he wants me alive according to the fien
ds that tried to attack me in the woods.” Lola informed him. “What else has Perim been doing besides working with fiends?”

“That is none of your business
?” Kasco spat on the floor again. “You are no longer part of the agency. What we do is no longer your concern. Unfortunately we are no longer accepting new members.”

Then Dougal started to brush his ram horns on Lola’s leg again trying to get her attention. “What is it?” She said annoyed.

“There is absolutely no reasoning with them Lola. I believe we have walked into a trap.” Dougal remarked. Lola stared down at him and understood. A part of her knew that no one in the mansion would allow her to get close to Master Perim. She was surprised they allowed her through the front gate. All the apprentices with rods at hand began to slowly form a circle around Lola, surrounding her. “You are naïve to believe they would be kind to you.” Dougal told her. “Look how they leer us. Their eyes seethe with vengeance Lola. They are committed to Perim like we once were.”

Lola raised her rod. The ruby gemstone lit up with a volcanic light. Perim’s apprentices circled her. Lola knew they wanted to harm
her. Their past with her was a game of status and gaining the approval of Master Perim. “What a bunch of sad orphans. If only you knew the taste of freedom.” Lola whispered to herself not caring if they heard. “Master Perim has brain washed you. That head band you wear on your foreheads has some manipulative spell on it.”

“Did you just discover that now?” Dougal asked her
sarcastically.

“Walking in here willingly was a big mistake Lola.” Kasco told her wit
h a long dirty smirk. “We never dueled when you were here. Unfortunately I am not the only one who wants a piece of you. Lucky for you Master Perim wants you alive. Whether if you are an inch away from death or unconscious.”

“How sweat of him. Tell that pervert I send him my regards.” Lola responded. She notices Jazelle and the other appr
entices that had escorted her, hurried inside the mansion.
I will take care of them later
, Lola thought and turned her attention to the dozens of apprentices surrounding her. They pointed their rods at her, gemstones shining red and orange colors. They all studied under the art of fire. The only magic they learned from Master Perim.

“I knew you would return!” Lola heard a familiar voice coming from third floor of the mansion. All the apprentices turned their heads
to the mansion. On the balcony of the third floor he stood staring down at everyone in the vast courtyard. It was Master Perim. He wore a black cloak, underneath a red turtle neck tunic, a sword hanged from his waist. Perim was blonde, his long hair in a ponytail showing his forehead. Blue icy eyes and small. He stood at the balcony with arms crossed. He chuckled as he stared down at Lola from up high. Lola could only smile back with her own long nasty smirk. “My dear Lola” Perim’s voice echoed in the courtyard as if it were an indoor grand hall. “I was just about to go on a trip to see his majesty King Alexander. But I sensed a disturbing mana around the mansion and it turned out to be you. I had a feeling you would return to me my dear Lola. Tell me, how is the cruel outside world treating you?”

“Better than I imagine it to be.” Lola answered loudly. “Even the wilderness of Alexandria is better than this prison.”

“Just say the words Master Perim and we will end her.” Kasco interrupted, eager to hurt Lola with his volcanic spells.

“Now now settle down.”  Perim said, politely. “I would like to know why our runaway apprentice has returned so spontaneously. Tell me my dear Lola. What has brought you back to me? Was it too hard to live out in the world without the security that I provided you?”

“Like I said anywhere in Alexandria is better than this prison.” Lola answered annoyed and eager to finally curse him and take her belonging. “I simply came here to take the magic rod you have been hiding from me. The rod my father gave me. The rod that would have helped me awakened my powers at an earlier age. You know what I speak of.” Lola took another look at the apprentices that surrounded her. They did not take their eyes of her. They were ready to fire and burn her to ashes if Perim commanded them to.  Lola was certain that Perim would not spare her. The danger made her heart pound faster with excitement.

“
We rather do things in a peaceful manner.” Dougal said, his voice deep and cold. “However if you prefer violence then I will gladly spill the blood of these imbecile orphans.”

“Oh!
I was wondering who the furry horn beast was.” Perim mocked and laughed. “I assumed Lola found herself a loyal pet. I had forgotten I turned you into an ugly beast for your attempt to steal my wonderful artifact. Dougal”

“The rod is not an artifact.” Lola snarled. “It belongs to my father. You lied to me Perim. You told me the rod had been lost but you held it all this time. I wil
l now take it back with either words or with blood.”

For a moment there was silence. Lola glared up at Perim waiting for his response yet she expected no sympathy from him.
It was worth a tried
, she said to herself.

“My dear mage apprentices. Get rid of this runaway student who dares show her face in my courtyard. Rape her, beat her, cripple her, do with her what you will just make sure she never returns here again and don’t ruin my garden.” Perim spun and walked from the balcony
to a room in the third floor.

“Are you satisfied?” Dougal ask
s Lola harshly wishing that for once she would listen to him. “At least we got to meet our old friends again. Aren’t you happy Dougal?”

“I will be happy when I see them turn to ash.” Dougal said with blue smoke coming from his maw.

“Enough talk!” Kasco yelled and without hesitation, from his bare hands he launched a ball of fire. Lola quickly slapped it away with her rod. The fire ball was heavy but she managed to push its weight. It reflects towards one of the apprentices to her left. The apprentice ceases the fire ball. Suddenly all the apprentices began to shoot fire at her from their rods. Twenty of them. They launched their flame at Lola and Dougal. Lola spun her rod with one hand and then swung it around her area capturing their flame and forcing it dance around her. They all launched fire at her but Lola’s skills were great. She could capture fire and manipulate it with her mana. She redirected their fire and shot it back at them.

Dougal dodge their
fire rapidly. He was fast, fierce and a small target making it difficult to hit. He spat his blue flames, it seems as though he sneezed it from his maw. The blue flame bullet was too fast for some of Perim’s students. Some reflected it with their rods and some burned and screamed and panicked. Dougal pounced at them and bit their arms, legs and necks. “Have you become weaker or am I just too strong!” Dougal yell. “Blame it on your Master for turning me into this curse beast.”

Lola was busy with six
of her old fellow apprentices. She reflected their spells. Some fell and their souls dropped to Necrovania. Lola cast a fire wall around herself and as they shoot fire her wall would grow larger and larger. “Hasn’t Master Perim taught you anything new?” She taunted them. “You were always a cocky little good for nothing brat Lola.” One of the female apprentices told her. Lola released her wall of fire. Her fire spread burning them, disarming them. Some knew how to defend themselves but had burned to death. Their skin melted off their flesh. Their clothes incinerated.

One of them ran behind Lola. She spun to cast a spell. “Pikan Fahiah!” She yelled. The daring apprentice had dipped and tackled her to the ground. She recognizes the boy. She remembers dueling him. He loved to fist fight and dare hit a girl. He throttled Lola and she gasped for air. “I got her!” Th
e boy yelled alerting his comrades to take advantage. Lola struggled but she managed to hit him with the apex of her rod. She wacked him on the cranium hard enough to heard a thud. She kicked him off and got to her feet. She stomped on the boy and pointed her rod at him. “Pikan Ray!” She shouted. A red beam jetted from rod and pierced the heart of the boy.