The Magical Inn of Aradessa

Yasmine's Pov

“Oh my goodness! Your parents would be rolling in their graves by now. How could you bring such shame to us?” She clutched her head in a dramatic manner.

My aunt has always been an overly dramatic person, but her reaction right now might have been valid.

I didn’t pay much attention to her meltdown. Instead, I secretly gave her different ugly and horrifying-looking hairstyles with my fingers, moving my hand sneakily by my side.

“Eww, this is the ugliest hairstyle I’ve ever seen,” I muttered quietly.

“You! Why did you do it?” She stared right at me, making me quickly drop my hand behind my back and return my attention to her.

“How could you turn the head of a respected ruler into a frog with a beard?” she continued in a high pitch, losing every breath that came through her nose.

“Aunt Zia, you know it wasn’t intentional. I wouldn’t jeopardize my dream of becoming a Guardian.”

For as long as I could remember, I had watched my parents carry out their duties as Guardians of our mystical world. They shared fascinating stories about their missions, the magical creatures they rescued, and the new creatures they discovered.

Since then, I decided I would also become a Guardian just like my parents, but things took an unexpected turn.

“Then what went wrong?” she continued.

I sighed. “Celeste sabotaged my spells on purpose.”

“Then why didn’t you explain yourself?”

“What’s the point? They wouldn’t believe me anyway. Celeste is their golden student. Why would they believe a naughty witch over their angel witch?”

I could see the expression on her face soften immediately. She walked closer to where I stood and scooped my face into her palms.

“Oh, my poor boo-boo bear.”

“Aunt Zia! Enough with that nickname. I am not a baby anymore,” I mumbled.

She looked at me with a more serious but warm expression.

“You will always be my baby. I’m sorry you feel inferior to your mates, Yasmine. You’re a very talented young witch, even more talented than I was at your age. But you know the institution has conventional rules about how magic should be used, and you have to abide by them.”

“But magic should be creative and not constrained.”

“I didn’t make the rules, honey.” She smiled warmly before patting my cheeks.

“Enough of that. What do you want us to do for the rest of the afternoon? The day is still very much alive. We can worry about what the council will decide about you later.”

She looked at me with a charming smile.

I was about to think of what we could do, but then I saw her walking toward the mirror to check herself out. I changed my mind immediately.

“Umm, I’ll be in my room wallowing in self-pity.”

I bolted off without waiting for her response.

“But we still have a long day to—Yasmine!!”

I closed the door behind me as I clutched my chest and rested my back against it.

I let out a cunning laugh with a grin.

“Oh, you’re in some big trouble, young lady!”

I smiled as she continued to rant about her hair transformation.

I walked toward my bed before falling flat on my back and staring at the ceiling. My aunt’s ranting began to sound muffled as I reminisced about what had happened in the early hours of the day.

“Welcome to the prestigious Academy of the Guardians of the Mystical Force.”

Those were the first words that welcomed me as I walked into the hall.

I had spent years hearing about the Academy. Every young witch and wizard started their training at a preliminary school before they could qualify for the Guardian assessment. I completed mine alongside Celeste, which meant I had known her long before we stepped into the Academy.

She was always the perfect student.

Her spells were precise. Her grades were always among the highest, and the instructors never seemed to get tired of praising her.

Then there was me.

I wasn’t exactly the worst student, but I never did things the way they expected me to. I liked experimenting with spells and finding different ways to use them. Sometimes it worked beautifully.

Other times, it did not.

Still, I never gave up on becoming a Guardian.

The Academy assessment was supposed to be my chance to prove that I belonged there.

I walked into the hall with my head held high.

The place was even more impressive than I imagined. Tall crystal pillars stood on both sides of the entrance, glowing with different shades of magic. Golden symbols floated above the hall and changed shapes whenever someone walked beneath them.

I tried not to stare for too long, but I couldn’t ignore how magnificent everything looked.

Dozens of young witches and wizards stood around the hall, waiting for their turn.

Then I saw her.

Celeste.

Of course she was there.

Her silver hair was neatly tied behind her head, and not a single strand was out of place. Even her robes looked as if someone had ironed every fold with magic.

She caught my gaze and smiled in a cunning manner.

I ignored her.

I wasn’t going to let that sly witch ruin my mood.

The instructor stepped forward and explained the assessment. Each candidate would demonstrate a spell of their choice. They were looking for control, creativity and precision.

That should have been easy.

Magic had never been difficult for me.

Following instructions might have been my only problem. At least, that was what everyone kept saying.

I stepped forward when my name was called.

“Yasmine zephyr.”

I walked into the center of the hall with confidence.

For a moment, everything felt perfect.

Then I noticed Celeste standing a little too close to the spell circle.

She gave me another smile.

I narrowed my eyes and tried to concentrate.

Something felt wrong.

I ignored the feeling and began my spell.

Magic gathered around my hands exactly as I wanted. A soft glow formed between my palms before rising into the air.

I smiled.

Finally.

I was doing it.

Then the spell changed.

The glow twisted violently.

I blinked.

“What?”

The magic shot across the room.

Someone screamed.

A table flew into the air, followed by a stack of books that scattered across the floor.

I tried to stop the spell, but it only grew stronger.

“Yasmine!” one of the instructors shouted.

“I’m trying!”

The magic twisted again and flew straight toward the head of the council.

A bright flash filled the hall.

Then silence followed.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The respected ruler standing before me was no longer completely human.

His face was green.

His ears had disappeared.

And somehow, a thick beard was growing beneath his mouth.

Someone gasped.

Someone else started laughing.

I stared at him.

He stared at me.

Then he croaked.

Like He actually croaked.

The entire hall erupted with laughter.

I wanted the ground to swallow me.

Celeste covered her mouth, but I could still see the smile hiding behind her fingers.

That was when I knew.

She did something.

I stepped forward.

“You—”

“Yasmine!”

The instructor’s voice stopped me.

I turned toward him, ready to explain what I saw.

One look at his face told me he wasn’t interested.

Neither was anyone else.

They had already decided what happened.

I looked at Celeste again.

She was vibrating with laughter.

That was how my dream of becoming a Guardian began to fall apart right before my eyes.

“Yasmine!”

A loud voice suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.

I sat up immediately.

It was Aunt Zia.

“Get down here!”

“I’m coming!”

I hurried down the stairs, wondering what could possibly be so important.

Then I heard a knock.

Aunt Zia was already standing near the entrance.

“Were you expecting someone?” I asked.

“No.”

Another knock came.

I opened the door.

A tall, thin man stood outside in a stiff black uniform. His coat was buttoned all the way to his neck, and his small official-looking hat sat perfectly straight on his head.

He looked so serious that I almost wondered if he practiced his expression in the mirror every morning.

“Yasmine Zephyr?”

“Yes?”

He held out an envelope with the seal of the Guardians Academy.

“For you.”

“Oh.”

I took it nervously.

He gave a small nod before turning around.

I watched him walk away for a second.

“He really doesn't know how to smile, does he?” I muttered.

“Yasmine.”

“What?”

“Open the letter.”

I looked at Aunt Zia.

Her expression had changed.

The amusement was gone.

I looked down at the envelope in my hand. The golden seal suddenly felt much heavier than it should.

I broke it open.

Aunt Zia moved closer until her shoulder touched mine.

We read the letter together.

The words on the page felt almost like I could hear WizardLord Tyrone shouting them directly into my ears.

"Your behaviour during the Guardian assessment has been brought to our attention."

I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat.

"Your actions caused serious disruption within the Academy and showed a complete disregard for the rules governing magical conduct."

I glanced at Aunt Zia.

She avoided my eyes.

I continued reading.

"Despite your previous academic record, the Council cannot overlook what occurred today."

I felt a ship sink in my stomach.

Then came the part I didn’t expect.

"However, the Council has decided to grant you one final opportunity to prove that you are capable of becoming a Guardian."

I blinked in surprise, with excitement rushing through me.

“One final opportunity?” Aunt Zia whispered grinning from ear to ear.

I kept reading.

"You are hereby assigned to restore and manage Aradessa, an abandoned magical inn located in the small town of Bellwick."

I raised my eyebrows in confusion.

"An inn?"

The letter continued.

"The property has remained unused for several years and requires immediate restoration. You will be responsible for bringing the inn back into operation and proving that you can manage your magic responsibly outside the Academy."

I stared at the page in disbelief.

Your assignment begins immediately.

The last line made my heart drop.

A carriage will be waiting outside at dawn to take you to your destination.

The silence that filled the room after I read out the last line was alarming.

I lowered the letter slowly to my right.

Aunt Zia looked at me and I looked right back at her.

“Aradessa?”