"As a matter of fact, yes," he replied. "I'd like to warm up before class begins. Might I ask what it is that you're working on?"

"Katrin, here, has trouble targeting spells," she explained. "I was helping her."

"I see," he said, "and, in your opinion, what is the root of her problem?"

"Concentration."

"Let's take a look then, shall we? You cast first, Natalia. Let's see what you're made of."

Natalia turned suddenly, targeting the distant dummy with a blast of ice that struck the target dead centre.

"Impressive," he said. "I can see you're highly focused. Now you try, Katrin."

Katrin cast the spell, and ice shards flew forth, sailing down the room, narrowly missing the target.

"Almost had it," she said.

"'Almost' is not good enough for the battlefield," he said. "You do that in a real fight, and you'll be dead. Now try again, there's nothing like repetition to master a skill."

She cast again, this time hitting an arm.

"You're getting there," he said, "but I'm afraid we're out of time. My students will be coming shortly, and it would be better if you weren't here when they arrive."

"Thank you, Master Gregori," said Katrin.

"No thanks are needed," he replied, "but I'll tell you what. If you come here tomorrow at the same time, I'll give you some more pointers. How does that sound?"

"That would be wonderful," said Katrin.

"Yes, thank you," added Natalia.

"You're welcome," he said. "Now, be off with you before you ruin my reputation."

"Your reputation?" asked Natalia.

"Oh yes, didn't I mention it? I'm known as a hard taskmaster when it comes to instruction."

"Your secret's safe with us," said Katrin, opening the door.

"Yes," agreed Natalia, "and thanks again for all your help."

Natalia attempted to chew her food and then spat the mouthful back onto her plate. "The meat's a bit grisly today," she said.

Katrin, who had been waiting for her friend's opinion, simply poked hers with a fork. "I don't think I can eat it, it looks like it's still alive."

Natalia looked around the room. Others appeared to be enjoying their food, and she wondered if perhaps, someone had targeted them with the bad meal. Across the centre aisle, the young men were digging in with gusto, certainly not the sign that there was anything wrong with theirs. "It's just us," she whispered.

"The meat might be bad, but the rest of the meal looks fine," said Katrin.

The sound of doors opening reached their ears, and they both looked to see Marakhova Stormwind, Grand Mistress and Head of the Volstrum, enter, followed closely by Grand Master Kelvin and Mistress Tatiana. They proceeded to walk past the students to the other end of the hall, where the instructors would normally sit for formal dinners. Today, the space was cleared of all tables. Their entrance had drawn considerable interest, for the grand mistress seldom visited the dining hall.