A Knight's Purpose (Book 1) ✔️

Chapter 25 - What even is a Magician?

I share the room with Sereya, working through some Hebrew lessons on my laptop, but it's difficult to focus with her poor attitude filling the space. I practically kiss the floor when Teacher walks in.

He puts his briefcase on the table but frowns as Sereya continues to stare at the table and pick at the wood with her fingernails.

"A house has four walls that all point south and a bear walks in a circle around this house. What color is the bear?" He slowly sits and pulls his glasses from his briefcase.

She doesn't answer.

"Miss Maia?" He prompts but she just shrugs. "Maia, this is an easy one."

She shrugs again. "I don't know."

His eyes narrow and he slams a hand on the table. She jumps and her eyes fly to his. When they lock gazes he speaks slowly. "You should not lie. It is not that you do not know, it is that you do not try. Again, a house has four walls that all point south and a bear walks in a circle around this house. What color is the bear?"

She gulps but can't look away. "I can't think of it."

His eyes stay narrowed and her gaze finally darts to the table as she slouches in the seat. Teacher, still upset, turns his glare on me. I freeze.

"Would you happen to know where my star pupil went?" His voice is like ice.

"Camden left today. She's having a bit of a problem adjusting," I answer slowly.

Sereya glares at me as I'm apparently an easier target that Teacher. "I'm fine!"

I raise my eyebrow at her outburst and she blushes. I turn back to face Teacher who has his own eyebrow raised at me. I raise my chin at him instead.

"And you would be? I'm afraid we were never properly introduced."

I stand, setting my laptop on the floor, and hold out my hand. "You may call me Eve. I'm Maia's aunt."

He takes it in his own without rising and we shake. "I was unaware Maia had blood relatives."

Sereya's blush intensifies as we continue speaking about her as if she isn't there, though this time the color rises in anger.

"I'm all she's got left. But as you can imagine the first extended time away from Camden might cause some distraction." I sit back in my chair and he nods sagely.

Turning back to my niece he gives her a kind smile. "It would probably be kind of me to change today's topic from the History of the Magicians Coven to something you'd be more likely to enjoy on such a day, wouldn't it?"

Her eyes, which had squinted in disgust when he mentioned history lit up as he finished.

With a vicious smile, the man cuts her down to size. "But my curriculum does not change for personal problems. You must be able to learn and behave even through such circumstances. Please open your Magical History book to page 15 and read the passage on the difference between Mages and Sorcerers. It is important to understand before we talk about covens."

She grumbles but walks to the back wall where a small bookcase resides and pulls out the textbook he referred to. I smirk and pick my laptop back up off the floor and resume reading. The crash course in Hebrew has refreshed my knowledge enough that I switch back to an Aramaic learning site and wade through a few instructional videos with the subtitles on rather than audio.

It's a tense atmosphere, with Sereya not really wanting to learn, until Teacher calls a break for lunch. I shut my laptop, put it in my bag, and stand with a full body stretch as Sereya reaches for her bag and pulls out two lunchboxes with sandwiches and an apple each.