Free Volinette's Song by Martin Hengst

something she’d need to work out on her own. One couldn’t be made to see facts they didn’t want to see.
    No matter how Volinette tried to explain that Janessa’s intentions were more than a grudge, Master Casto’s advice was to keep working at a reconciliation. Mages needed to work together, he’d said, pointing to the Great Tower in the distance. How else did we learn and grow? Secretly, Volinette wondered if there wasn’t a way for her to grow without Janessa’s constant interference.
    There was a noise deeper in the garden , and Volinette huddled up against the side of the fountain. Whoever was lurking about out there, she didn’t really feel like talking. She breathed a sigh of relief when a page strolled down the manicured path, lighting the lanterns that lined the walkway. At least she wouldn’t be required to have a conversation with the page. He had his duties to perform and wouldn’t be concerned with her. In fact, as he passed through the courtyard on his way across the garden, he only acknowledged Volinette with the briefest of nods.
    The night deepened as she sat there, listening to the gentle babble of the water falling into the pool. Of everywhere on the school grounds, this was one of her favorite places to sit and think. It was quiet and serene and helped soothe the nerves that were almost always frayed to the point of breaking by the end of the day.
    “Oh, look, it’s the murderer.”
    Volinette jumped at the cold voice behind her. She whirled to find Janessa standing there with her arms folded across her chest. The three other girls, shadowing their leader, stood a few steps behind, their arms similarly arrayed.
    “Oh give it a rest, Janessa,” Volinette snapped. She was too tired to be tactful and really didn’t care to try anymore. Every day was more of the same, and for Janessa to start up with her on a rest day was just the final straw.
    “I’ll give it a rest when you pay for what you’ve done.”
    Before Volinette could really credit what she was doing, she’d leapt to her feet, inches from Janessa’s face. The taller girl took a step back, only registering a moment of surprise before she schooled her features into the sneering mask she normally wore around Volinette.
    “I haven’t done anything,” Volinette exploded. “It wasn’t my fault that Tenika couldn’t handle the Trial. If you were so worried about her, why weren’t you there to protect her? She was your sister, after all, wasn’t she? What kind of sister are you to just let your sibling die? ”
    Volinette was trembling from head to foot. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, other than she was just so tired of Janessa’s attitude and constant accusations. Something had to give . Volinette felt as if something deep inside her had snapped, unraveling in a flood of words that she had no control over. She stood there, shaking, watching the furtive look that Janessa shot to her companions. For the first time, it seemed as if Janessa didn’t know what to do about the monster she’d created.
    All at once, Janessa seemed to regain her composure. She flicked her fingers forward, intoning the words of a spell that she’d used on Volinette before. This time, though, Volinette was ready for her. The words that came from Volinette’s mouth were carried on a melody, a song that she’d known since her childhood, which she’d sung with her family on warm spring nights in front of crowds who bobbed and swayed along with the music. The lyrics, however, were different. Instead of the words she’d learned as a child, Volinette heard a whispered voice in her head, like chimes. She repeated the words as they came to her, weaving them into the familiar notes of the song.
    A flash of brilliant white lit the courtyard. Janessa and the others were blown backward, sailing through the air as if they’d been picked up by a giant invisible hand and thrown away from where Volinette was standing. The sudden burst of power left