The mistress turned to face the suit of armour and stepped forward, pushing her arms out in front of her quickly, and then uttering three words of power. A tiny shape flew through the area to strike the floor. The instant it hit a mist enveloped the far end of the room. A moment later, Mistress Nina used a wiping motion with her hand to dispel the effect, leaving the room, once again, free of the spell.

She turned again to face her students. "Now, who wants to go first?"

In answer, Svetlana stepped out in front of the others.

"Come up here," bid the mistress, "there's a faint line on the floor for you to stand behind. Take a moment to concentrate on the target before you release your magic."

Svetlana took up her place and stared downrange, taking a moment to judge the distance. She stepped forward, uttering the words of power and then a thin line of mist appeared halfway to her target.

"A good first attempt," declared Mistress Nina. "You'll get used to judging distance with further training. Go ahead and dispel it so we can give someone else a turn."

Svetlana waved her hand but failed to dispel the mist. She blushed profusely, then set her mind to it again, uttering the words to be rewarded with the desired effect.

"Who's next?" asked the mistress.

"Natalia," they all shouted.

"My goodness, you're popular today, Natalia. Come, stand on the line and prepare to cast."

"This ought to be good," whispered Katrin, "I can't wait to see her flub this one."

"Are you sure you gave her the magebane?" asked Oksana in a low voice.

"I put it on her food myself," Katrin replied, a smug look on her face.

Natalia stood behind the line, looking downrange. The suit of armour sat there unmoving, but she used her imagination to see it as an enemy soldier. Suddenly, she thrust out her right hand, palm forward. A single spot of white flew from her to sail across the intervening distance and land just in front of the target. As soon as it struck the floor, the entire room was engulfed in a thick mist, effectively blinding all present.

"Very impressive," came the voice of Mistress Nina, "now go ahead and dispel it."

Natalia uttered the words, and the mist evaporated, fading into nothingness almost as quickly as it appeared. She turned back to her schoolmates only to see Katrin staring at her with a look of shock.

"Now," said the mistress, "let's continue with the rest of you, shall we?"

Natalia sat down at the table, waiting for a servant to bring her lunch. For some reason, she was hungry, her morning's efforts leaving her feeling drained. A plate was placed in front of her, along with a fork, and she picked the implement up, ready to spear the meat when someone appeared opposite her. Raising her eyes, she saw Katrin standing there, looking down at her.