The rest of the week passed without any abnormalities, until Thursday. Miri had distanced herself from Salem, as Salem had done from her. The whole school had heard of the attack by the morning after. An assembly had been called.
"We will inform you when such attacks happen," Guardian Evangeline had said. "Please stay calm, it is most likely that they will attack during school hours." There had been a very loud cry of protest from the back. It was one of Victory's groupies.
"Hey! Aren't you gonna offer us any protection?" She yelled. Miri grimaced. What protection could they offer?
"No, we are not. We must continue this school as normal. You may not like it but it is as Lady Kristel wishes," Evangeline replied. A boy pushed through the crowd.
"And where is Lady Kristel? Where's she when we need her?" The boy yelled. Miri saw Salem step forward then. He looked like a tiger getting ready to pounce.
"Lady Kristel is doing everything she can! Don't you think that she's done enough? She has founded this academy, she has given us the best education there probably is to offer. You want her to walk around from lesson to lesson with us as well?" The boy looked down. Salem turned his back on him and walked back towards Jinxes.
The boy who had argued with him began to chant something under his breath. Miri knew that Salem wouldn't know until it was too late. She felt a panicky feeling come over her.
She began to change. This time she was in control of her powers. She felt herself shrink, her face began to tingle and change. He eyes became feline, her uniform faded into a redish fur. Miri had turned into a lioness.
She ran through the crowd. The boy was still chanting when Miri reached him. She knocked him to the ground. The boy, who was now beneath her huge paws, let the spell go. It hit her in the stomach. She changed back into a human. He breathing was uneasy.
"It is against the rules of combat to fire when someones back is turned. Also to hit someone with a spell that could kill them. I will see that you are rightly punished," Lady Kristel had entered the room. Beside her was a nerdish looking kid, with a little piece of paper.
"Miri, go up to the hospital wing. No, wait," Lady Kristel looked at the little piece of paper. "No, you must stay. Will Jinxes Getratone please help her?" Jinxes pushed through the crowd as the little nerd kid stood up on the podium.
"I'm announcing the first impressions results. It's a contest that goes around the school and people vote for a number of candidates. This year there has been a change in rankings. Here goes..." The little kid traightened out the piece of paper.
"First the boys. With 49% is Salem, a new student from England. But like usual Victory leads by two percent with 51%! Now the girls was very interesting this year. First there was Chibi with 16% of the votes, then there was Sarla with 20%. Second was Mraya with 24%. But well ahead with 40% of the votes is Princess Miri! Please can the winners and the first runners-up please come up here!" Miri stood up and walked to the front. Did guys really like her? She'd never really thought about her looks, others had, but she hadn't.
Miri was handed a locket. It was silver, and when she opened it, it had a picture of a leaping tiger, entwined with a leaping snow leopard. It was obvious Lady Kristel was behind this. When Miri looked down again the tiger and the leopard had moved. It was a holographic image.
Salem recieved a belt, made from a chain. It had a section to put his sword and a section to put his wallet. Victory recieved a chain-belt too, but Victory's was made from silver and had opals on it. Mraya had a locket like Miri's but was made from a different metal and had a picture of Starrynight in.
Miri spent the rest of the day in pain in the hospital wing. No one came to visit her. The rest of the week passed quickly, with Miri avoiding Salem. In the lessons she had with him she sat at the far side of the classroom, so that he wouldn't talk to her. Miri found that she couldn't look at him without cringing.
Miri felt as though her heart had been ripped out and locked away in an ice cupboard.
Salem had been worried about Miri but would have rather died than tell her that. She had been obviously avoiding him, and it made Salem feel like something on the bottom of her shoe. He found that he just saw her in his minds eye constantly.
It was Elia's class and Salem was sitting at the back with Jinxes and Mraya. Miri was no where to be seen. Neither was Victory.
"Right, I'll hand out the papers. You must not try to communicate at all through this test. Do you understand? And if you do you'll be hauled up in front of Evangeline to tell her your reason," She didn't say it nastily but the calmness was enough to put any one off talking.
Elia handed out all the papers and said "Begin." There was a rustle as all the papers were turned over. Salem looked down at his paper.
1) How can you call upon the element of Water?
2) Where is Miri?
Salem rubbed his eyes. The question was still there. The question underneath was even odder. 3) Why aren't you looking for her?
Salem found himself picking up his pen and answering the questions quickly. There were thirty, about fifteen were about his friends. Salem finished and put his hand up in the air.
"Yes?" Elia said, looking up. Jinxes and Mraya were looking at him in bewilderment.
"I need to leave class," Salem said, packing away his things. He felt a feeling of dread come over him. Kaptra was in trouble! And he was with someone! Salem slung his bag over his shoulder.
"Sit down! You cannot leave class this is a test!" Elia pointed at the door and it turned to ice, blocking his exit.
"My familiar is in trouble. We have a close link, if he dies, then I do as well. Let me go!" Salem felt his palms begin to tingle. He pointed at the door. The ice melted in a fireball. Salem ran out.
From what he could sense Kaptra was somewhere other than the usual places. He was somewhere near the boundaries. Was it the Baroness? No, Kaptra would be in pain then...
Salem threw down his bag. He rummaged through it. He had kept the sword with him constantly since the last attack. He pulled it out of his bag and, leaving his bag on the floor, ran off to find Kaptra.
Victory had sensed the disturbance as well. He had watched Salem run out of class. Salem was powerful, Victory realised this now. Miri would definately have a good guardian, but Victory needed to be sure. The job had been given to him to make sure that they were safe, but when they got into trouble so much it was hard.
He followed Salem, but not from the ground. Victory whistled, a tune that sounded like a bird call. A giant bird, easily the size of a horse, appeared. It was yellow with an eagle like face and a swan like body. It had talons that were the size of knives. Occasionally sparks flew off the bird, often fizzling out though, before they caused damage.
"Ah, Thunder. We have a job that needs doing. Come on," Victory climbed onto Thunder's back and the bird flew off, following Salem all the way to the boundaries.
Salem crept up to the clearing. He could sense Kaptra was there, with some others. He peered through the bushes.
Miri was there, a person dressed all in black was behind her. Salem squinted at them. He saw a flash of skin. It was a ninja, who was obviously not here to learn about magic.
"Princess Miri, your father will not accept this behaviour. Come with me back to the palace," the Ninja said. Salem looked at Miri's face. She bit her lip. Was she really thinking about leaving?
"Miri! Don't go! We all need you here!" That was Kaptra. Salem repositioned himself so he could see his friend. The big cat's paws had been tied together. His tail lashed about, he had a collor around his neck, and it had been used to tie his head to a tree. Salem felt great anger now. Next to him, tied up in the same way, Shinkokami lay. Had Miri let this man do this to their familiars?
"Let them go!" Salem shouted standing up. Miri jumped and looked around. The Ninja drew a throwing star and through it at Salem. Salem thanked the Goddess for his fast reflexes.
Salem crawled out of sight. The Ninja would be looking for him now. He crept to where the familiars where. He slashed through the cords tieing their heads to the tree. They immediately bit off each others bindings.
"SALEM!" Miri shouted, warning him just in time that there was a throwing star heading his way. No sooner had he ducked did the Ninja disappear. In his place was a slightly windswept Victory. Beside him was a gigantic bird, a thunderbird...
"Are both of you ok?" Victory asked. Salem felt slightly embarrassed to be saved when he was supposed to be the rescuer. He didn't say anything but he picked himself up off the floor. Victory walked over to the familiars.
He picked up Kaptra's paw. Kaptra hissed and pulled his paw away. That wasn't like Kaptra. Victory backed away. Shinkokami looked at Kaptra who was now licking his paw. There was something wrong...
"Kaptra?" Salem asked, moving forward. Kaptra backed away. Salem felt his scar twinge. It felt as though Kaptra were leaving. As though he'd changed from Kaptra to a... wild animal...
"What happened?" Miri asked. She looked at Shinkokami who stood and went to stand by her.
"The Ninja cast his Kenjai spell on Kaptra, before he was thunder bolted. I'm afraid Kaptra is once again wild," Shinkokami looked so sad. Salem remembered that she had been friends with Kaptra. Salem felt the emptiness where Kaptra had been grow.
"Salem?" Victory's voice sounded far away. He felt someone grab his arm, but Salem was already slipping away.