Free The Guardian Lineage by Seth Z. Herman

“mediocre-to-decent looking.”
    â€œThanks,” Mike muttered. There was something about her that bothered him, something that caught his attention. Not the flirting, that was obvious, but the way she seemed to be guarding something. Although, they had just met, so maybe he was just overreacting…
    Mike rubbed his temples as he headed up the stairs. It was time for Homeroom.
    He had a phone call to make.

 
    Chapter Eight
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    Aside from the fact that he didn’t blow anything up, Homeroom was a complete disaster.
    Mike spent the entire period combing the mansion for something, anything that resembled an administrative office. He asked every teacher he saw, but no one so much as gave him the light of day. He found some private offices – Stockton’s, amongst others – but every single one of them had their lights off and door closed, and he wasn’t about to start walking into random offices an hour after being called a traitor in front of half the school. He tried the library, to see if there were some public computers with internet, but when he asked the librarian she put a finger to her lips and shook her head. By the time he looked at his watch, he had to run to class, frustrated and ready to scream.
    But to his surprise, Magical Detection turned out to be the best period of the day. Mr. Greyskull’s articulate, smile-filled manner was a welcome break from Stockton’s scathing discourse, and just the topic alone made the class full of promise. Add that to the fact that Sparring was up next, and Magical Detection sped by quicker than an episode of Family Guy.
    Sparring was held in the basement, in a converted party room. Tables were pushed off against the walls, and a long carpet was rolled down the center. Several pillars lined the carpet on both sides, holding up the ceiling, and the smell of sweat was noticeable.
    Mike slid his bag against one of the columns and took hold of who was in his class.
    Zachariah Zucker and Annabella Frost were off on the right, keeping mostly to themselves. Aaron was talking with a group of four or five girls. Mike smiled to himself. The guy sure didn’t waste any time. Steph stood alone against the wall, arms folded and a scowl on her face, seemingly resigned to at least one period of Sparring before she could get out of it. Mike wanted to go over and talk to her, but his thoughts were interrupted.
    The doors were thrown open, and the Sparring teacher strode into the room.
    Mike almost choked on his gum.
    It was Seth Stockton.
    The Magus carried a cloth rucksack over his shoulder and a clipboard in his other hand. “Line up, everybody, single file on the carpet, facing me. Quickly!” Stockton dropped his gear and clapped his hands rapidly. “Come on, people, we don’t have all day.” The class hurried to comply. Stockton stood on the other side, hands on hips, ready to roll.
    Mike’s eyes locked with Aaron’s. Aaron mouthed a swear word, and Mike chuckled grimly.
    This was turning out to be a day for ages.
    â€œWelcome to Sparring, a class most of you will enjoy and some of you will hate, depending on your ability to withstand pain and anguish.”
    A few chuckles emerged from the students, but Stockton wasn’t smiling. “I’m sure you have all learned an attack or two on the first day of classes.” Stockton reached into his sack and pulled out an unlit torch, a bottle of mineral water, and a small contraption that looked like an open light bulb – without the glass – attached to a small base.
    â€œI am not here to teach you a grade-one attack. Your other teachers, hopefully, have covered that. If they haven’t,” Stockton’s mouth curled into a tiny smile, “Then you’ll be begging them to teach it to you tomorrow morning.
    â€œThe first thing we’re going to work on is our blocking . Very important, if you plan on surviving any sort of confrontation with,