As he reached his destination, he laid a hand on the rough wooden surface, relishing in the rough sun-warmed feel of the grain beneath his palm as he hid his excitement beneath the fa�ade of indifference.
Kala came up behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder blade in an attempt to prop herself up while she caught her breath. The weapons master had declared her a hopeless case after the fifth time she had cried at a broken nail and had promptly excused her from all fighting classes. This meant that she was out of shape but since she ate very little and had a very high metabolism, Kala retained her slim feminine figure.
�Aren�t you going in, Corin?� Kala asked curiously, her already high voice rising in the question.
The boy realized with a start that he had been standing there motionless with his hand pressed against the grain of the door. He quickly suppressed the horrible images of himself, standing before a crowd of mages, trying and failing to do the simplest of tasks. If anyone other than Kala had seen him� �Of course I am. I was just�catching my breath.� When the blonde girl accepted this explanation without any comment, Corin silently blessed her for being so unobservant. Anyone else would have noticed the hesitation in his voice and the fact that he wasn�t even the slightest bit winded by his headlong trip down the hall.
But no reason to push his luck, he reasoned as he pushed the door open firmly with the hand that still rested on it. Inside, there were about 20 people milling around and chatting inside the antechamber to the assembly hall. A few moved aside to make room for him as he looked around curiously. He had been inside these walls before, but never beyond them, to the Testing Hall beyond since none of the mages-in-training are allowed to see what the test for the Order of the Dove is like. This prevented cheating or practicing beyond what was provided by mages of the Order of the Dove a few weeks before the actual event. But he had traveled many times to this outer room to stand and picture himself in the middle of an admiring crowd of his peers, resplendent in his pristine, snow white robes and he scanned his surroundings with warmth.
The antechamber was actually very plain compared with the other rooms in the school and it could almost be called shabby when set next to the marble halls he had just exited. The ceilings were lower than the halls and the walls were made from plain, unassuming wood although Corin was sure that there was tons of anti-mildew and �rotting spells that would keep it pristine for centuries. Rounded corners made the room look homey and relaxing but the lack of any kind of adornments save a single enchanted lamp that hung from the ceiling lent it a stark appearance. The only other thing that broke the solid form of the walls was a simple oak door, lighter than the rest of the wall, which stood on the other side of the room. The floors were made of polished hardwood, devoid of any scuff marks or scratches.
�Oh, this is so exciting, isn�t it Corin? I�m sure you�ll do great.� Kala gushed happily, and Corin missed the sidelong, measuring glance that she shot him from the corner of her eye. But before he could reply, a loud voice rang over the general chatter of the crowd.
�Corin! Hey, Corin!� a masculine voice rang out from somewhere within the crowd. Corin raised his head in recognition to scan the concealing bulk of the gathered mages, trying to spot the boy he knew would appear soon enough.
Kala spotted him first, standing on her tip-toes and waving frantically while still keeping a firm grip on Corin�s arm. Pushing and shoving his way through adult mages, came a boy of Corin and Kala�s age, sandy haired with a dashing of freckles across his nose and bright blue-gray eyes that glinted with delight at the sight of his friends. His arms and legs were still too long for his body and so he looked the opposite of Corin�s own well-built body. On his shoulders sat the brown robes of the Hawk Order.
�Stephan! You came!� Corin reached over to clap the boy on the shoulder. He hadn�t been sure if his best friend would have come since it had been established long ago that he would never make it past Hawk level, despite his most fervent prayers.
�Well, I couldn�t just leave you to only have Kala to congratulate you once you come out of there,� here Stephan jerked a thumb towards the oak door on the other side of the crowd, �with your white robes. You�ll be the first in our class, you know.� Corin beamed proudly.
�Yeah, but he has to pass first, and that is a real long shot, Stephan. Don�t you know that little plow boys off the farm can�t become an Order of the Dove mage.� A dark haired, sallow skinned boy sauntered out of the crowd toward the trio.
�Leave him alone, Devlin, we don�t need your opinion. Corin will do fine.� Stephan retorted bravely, but a slight quiver rang in his voice. Devlin was about 23 years old and close to attaining his white Robes, too. This meant that not only was he stronger magically than Stephan, he could also knock him around pretty good, too.
The pale-faced boy smirked arrogantly, �Sure, just keep telling yourselves that and maybe one day it will come true. But it won�t be today.�
�Since when did you become and Oracle, Devlin?� Corin snapped angrily.
Devlin laughed outright at this, �I don�t have to be, plowboy, it�s only common sense that says a stupid, backwards son of a farmer�s son who has no magical background whatsoever cannot attain an Order that is known for its prestige and honor.�
�Why not? I mean, you�re training to get your white robes so that proves that even idiots can get in.� Corin returned sharply and Kala�s small hands tightened around his arm. He had lived in fear of the older boy his whole time at the School of the Magical Arts but now he was close to attaining a rank higher than Devlin and that had to prove that he was at least somewhat better. Now, standing on the threshold of the most momentous occasion in his life, he could stand up to Devlin and say the things he had wanted to say for a very long time.
Devlin�s dark brown eyes narrowed dangerously and he took a menacing step forward, raising his fist threateningly. But at the moment when he would have leapt and began to pound Corin�s face into red dust, the oaken door behind the crowd of mages opened abruptly. Everyone, including the Corin�s potential assailant, turned to watch as a tall, gray-haired figure in white robes stepped through the open door. His watery blue eyes swept the crowd and Corin recognized him to be the mage who had taught him what he would need to pass the Test of the Dove, Professor Aaran. Corin felt glad that his old professor would be there. Not that he could help at all, but it was comforting just knowing he was there. The kind old man had helped him through the difficulties of learning the magics required for the Test and had been inordinately patient with him.
Today, however, the usual glint of levity was gone from his eyes, instead replaced with a seriousness that formed a ball of nervousness in Corin�s stomach. �Will Corin Belcoth please step forward, the Test will now begin.� Professor Aaran said somberly. Corin stepped toward him, ignoring the glares from Devlin and the looks of encouragement from Kala and Stephan. Once Corin stood next to his Professor, the old man continued, �All witness may file into the Hall and take their seats. We will begin shortly.� Then he spied the two brown-robed boys and the one gray-robed girl standing amidst the crowd of older mages, �remember that only mages who have already been inducted into the Order of the Dove may be admitted as witnesses.� Professor Aaran�s voice held subtle warning.