Page 43 - Solstice Art & Literary Magazine 2021

You’re going to graduate and then you won’t have to deal with them.
Unless he’d failed his written exam badly enough. Then he’d be here another twelve months, and all he’d learn was that people were still the worst monsters of them all.
Yet another sigh from his instructor pulled Ozzy back to the present. Instead of saying anything, though, the instructor let out a sharp whistle.
The serpent’s lazy twirling instantly froze. It coiled back into the corner, a writhing mass of blinding black scales. He could al- most see the pressure building, and at any moment it would snap.
With a piercing shriek, the serpent lunged forward, straight towards Ozzy faster than he knew was possible. He threw his hands up without a second to spare, crafting a barrier between them. The serpent crashed into the shield, shrieking again, the sound echoing in Ozzy’s ears. His breath hitched. Had he hurt it? Well, obviously it was far from pleasant to go barrelling into an invisible wall, but what if he’d made the wall electric or spiky on accident? It wouldn’t be the first time, and he couldn’t see the barrier to make sure.
The serpent flopped back, its shrieks escalating, overlapping each other as if a thousand throats
were screaming in discordant rage. Ozzy let the shield fall. He could still see those eyes, flecked with hot orange gems. They said the serpent wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice. It was cunning, which meant this would be difficult. It twisted around as its wings pushed at the air just enough to keep it afloat. It had made its move; now it was Ozzy’s turn.
He held both his hands up, palms facing each other, and did his best to focus with his classmates jeering at him. He pulled his hands apart, slowly, crafting fire into the space between them until the fire- ball was so big he couldn’t add to it without burning himself. The dancing flames imprinted in his vi- sion, the serpent little more than a blur behind it.
He launched it at the serpent. The serpent didn’t move. Ozzy had just enough time
to wonder if he’d made a horrible mistake when the fireball struck the serpent right where its wings attached to its body—and vanished. The cluster of flames he’d thrown was nowhere to be seen, and the ser- pent was twirling with more energy than ever, not injured in the least. The cracks between its scales now glowed orange.
When it lunged for him again and he threw up the shield, it had very nearly closed the distance
between them. He could’ve taken three steps forward and put a hand on the tip of its nose.
It stretched its jaws and roared, echoing off the courtyard walls. If his eyes had been closed, Ozzy was sure he wouldn’t have known where it was.
This time, he left the shield up.
and the flames Ozzy had created were now pouring back at him, hur- tling back with more intensity than he’d sent them with. The shield wouldn’t be able to take it. Ozzy dropped it just before it shattered and dashed for the low stone wall around the garden area, vaulting over and pressing his back against it as the fire raged around him. The coolness of the rocks was a stark contrast to the blast of heat.
The serpent charged again.
He could feel the barrier giving way.
His heart raced like it was ready to
punch its way through his chest and
run from this
beautiful ter-
rifying beast
he didn’t want
to face. His SHRIEKS ESCALATING, I won’t win, and
Great, he thought. I can’t attack or it gets stronger,
hands shook.
He could feel
the barrier
like it was part
of him, and
it wasn’t go-
ing to be able
to hold up
against the serpent much longer.
What if he couldn’t do this?
Just when the shield was ready to break, the serpent recoiled. The orange glow faded starting at the tip of its tail, like currents of electricity running upward, drain- ing towards its head—
Oh no.
The serpent opened its mouth in a blinding flash of fire,
I can’t forfeit or I don’t graduate. He twisted around, try- ing to get a glimpse of the monster through the
cracks in the stone. It was zipping every which way around the court- yard. Hunting for him.
He tried to keep an eye on it while he weighed his options. He could make a monster of his own to fight it. He could try attacking it with different things in case it could only absorb fire. He could knock
CONTINUES
THE SERPENT FLOPPED BACK, ITS
I can’t defend because it’s al- ready strong and
OVERLAPPING EACH OTHER AS IF A THOUSAND THROATS WERE SCREAMING IN DISCORDANT RAGE.
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