Through Hell & Highwater

By Victoria Liiv

Through Hell & Highwater, is a magical action-packed adventure that features a group of unlikely companions comprised of different types of fantastic creatures that normally wouldn't cohabitate, let alone be friends.

The group's anchor, a dainty little elf named Evyline, is admired for her bravery, tenacity, and concern for others over herself. Different circumstances and previous relationships brings the group to secure their unsuspected partnership while attending Volo Noscere University.

While in attendance at the university, a series of seemingly natural disasters have occurred in their homes. The band of students have set off to embark on a deadly journey in hopes of solving the mystery of the attacks.

The journey is very dangerous and their lives are at stake, but if they don't try to do something, the lives of the entire world that they know could meet destruction. Of the group of students, Evyline initially turned out to be the most overlooked among the group because of her petite stature and mild-manners, but they, and many of the professors at Volo Noscere, are learning that little Evyline is more powerful than anyone anticipated.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victoria Liiv
• Release date: Mar 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223133988

Book preview

Special thanks to Sophie Provost who inspired me to write this story and helped me with the world creation process.

Without you, this would still be an untold story.

EYORN

THE SIGNS ALL POINTED TO A magical attack. There was no other explanation. The weather had been acting up for a few years already; humans called it 'global warming', and it was getting worse. It was getting worse very, very fast. The Warming could not possibly be caused by any human means. No matter how oblivious those people were to the consequences of their actions. And no matter how little they cared for the nature that provided for them.

These disasters had to be magical. Eyorn was not the only one who thought so. Together with the Small Council at the University Volo Noscere, the biggest magical school in the world, they had decided to increase enrollment. Eyorn was the professor of Survival class at the University and a member of the admittance committee, responsible for mailing acceptance letters. The applications had already started arriving. Eyorn shook his head as he read through them. He had to consider more carefully, before rejecting any of them. Maybe one of these students would be able to come up with a solution to the rising problem. Who was he to take that chance away from them and doom the entire Earth? He could not afford to refuse anyone this year. And still, he read through all of the applications, desperate to find hope in them.

Eyorn took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been sitting in his office on the first floor of the famous Castel Sant'Angelo for way too long. He needed to stretch his legs. Get his blood flowing again. Maybe take a stroll out in the castle's courtyard or perhaps in the Parco della Mole Adriana. He should have stood up at least for a minute or two. To let his darkened thoughts air out. Instead, he placed his glasses back on his curved nose and kept on reading.

That summer, the heatwaves broke records across the globe. There had been no rain for three full months, newsfeeds called it the driest summer yet. The insect population was at an all-time high. Eyorn was afraid that it was only the beginning. The bugs needed food, and so the sun-tortured plantations were under an attack on different fronts. Two previously dormant volcanoes had become active; as if the blistering heat wasn't enough, they had to have lava as well, not to mention the natural destruction the eruptions brought with them. The human media was full of dozens of other tiny disasters that Eyorn lacked the will and time to track. A few channels even called it 'The End of Times'. The professor feared it would be, if someone did not deal with the mayhem soon.

Someone like RocTar? He read the young Orc's motivation letter again, mildly impressed. The recommendation attached to his application gave him high praise. His previous studies and experiences were exactly what the University was looking for.

Or perhaps Alfie? The devotion and passion shining through the young man's writing moved Eyorn. If all of that emotion was directed towards the correct goal, the Half-Blood could well be the hero the world needed.

Eyorn ran his hand through his graying hair that fell loosely around his shoulders. He sighed. It could be any one of them. He opened another file and stared at the bank check for 120 thousand euros. Name on the application: Finley. The Vampire did not include a motivation letter; the recommendation was short and concise. Of course she would still be accepted, not only because this year the school's standards were so much lower, but the money such students brought in was never turned away. Maybe she would find her motivation during her studies or maybe she would not find it at all - to the board it mattered not. To Eyorn every single student was important.

His students were the future of the world, literally. He would be hard on them, yes. But he did so to better prepare them for whatever situations they would find themselves in. Creating opportunities to let them discover their hidden talents was part of the process. If the magical High Council didn't start taking the threat seriously, those talents could be the only thing preventing the world's destruction. Eyorn hoped it would not come to that. His goal was still the same as it had always been; aiding his students to better succeed in life.

Survival, after all was a lifelong pursuit. Even someone who never stood face to face with a dragon was expected to overcome difficulties in their everyday life. Now all that Eyorn was hoping for was the world's survival, and every single student attending the University would certainly have their own roles to play.

EVYLINE

THEY SAY THAT ALL ROADS LEAD to rome, but Evyline wasn’t sure how realistic that saying was. Not everyone can possibly end up in Rome. Even though it was among one of the biggest cities in Europe, it was definitely not big enough for the whole world's population. Or did they mean that all roads go through Rome? Everyone, at least once in their life, had to visit the city? Well, there she was. In the capital city of Italy. A place where even humans found magic. Although, the magic that the mundane world saw in Rome didn't even compare to the magic that actually happened there. The whole city was buzzing with magic. Real magic. Most of the spell casting took place in the University building, of course. Volo Noscere, the University of Magic, was the reason Evyline had travelled so far from home.

When Evyline received her acceptance letter, she could not believe it. She had just gotten home from her lessons with Viayla. This time they had concentrated on water spells. It was so warm, that just standing outside for a few minutes made Evyline’s skin glisten with sweat. Playing with water spells had helped to cool off. But soon the sun dried out her long blond hair and the refreshing water droplets on her skin. Her dress got a lot lighter too as the water evaporated from the fabric. That’s when she began to sweat again. By the time she had gotten home her shoulders and face were burning from the heat and were a little red. She was trying to stay positive, but as soon as she opened the front door to their timber hut her shoulders slouched and she dragged her feet to the living room before she dropped on the couch. It was as warm inside as it had been out in the sun.

Evyline, is that you? her mother called out from the kitchen, before she stepped to the doorway to look at Evyline slumped down in between the pillows. Seeing her mother, she immediately straightened up and forced the muscles in her face to form a half-hearted smile. That was all she had energy for. Her mother furrowed her eyebrows, a couple of worry lines appearing on her forehead. I might have something that could cheer you up, Evy.

Is it air conditioning? Evyline asked.

No, it’s not air conditioning, her mother replied, but gave her a smile for the attempted humor.

What is it?

Her mother went over to a cupboard at the entrance hall and took a white envelope from the top of it. Evyline hadn’t noticed it when she had entered so miserably. She reached out for the envelope when her mother glided closer.

When her eyes landed on the blue stamp on the front of the white envelope, her throat got dry. She stared wide-eyed at the piece of paper in her hands, all the previous exhaustion forgotten.

Is it...?

Well, open it, Evyline.

Holding her breath until her lungs were screaming, she tore the envelope open. Scanning through the contents that fell into her lap she asked hesitantly: I got in?

Her mother’s face lit up before the realization hit Evyline herself. She had to read through a letter that had fallen out together with an introductory booklet and something that looked very much like a map.

I got in! Evyline jumped off the couch to give her mother a squeezing hug and danced around the room, then rushed back to the couch to read the letter again to be completely sure she had not mistaken the first time. I really did get into Volo Noscere!

When her father and sisters got back home she rushed to tell them the good news as well, jumping around excitedly before her father stopped her with a tight warm hug.

I always knew you would, Sunshine, he whispered into her hair.

Rome was so much bigger than she expected. And so, so, so much busier than she was used to. Evyline checked again that her sharp-tipped ears were hidden beneath her hair and started walking from the train station. Should she be taking a bus? She had no idea how far away the school was from the station. And she did not really know what bus would take her to it. Getting to the train station itself marked the end of her whole travel plan. Looking left and then right, she paused and stood for an indecisive heartbeat. So many people, so many cars and buses. So many big buildings. It was overwhelming.

Breathe in, Evyline reminded herself, and then out. The people were all minding their own business; nobody was taking any real interest in her and that more than anything helped calm her down enough to remember the map that had arrived with her admittance letter. She crouched down and began to search through her backpack: plane tickets, train tickets, her human passport (so she could travel at all). Where was the map? Finally, she found it in a folder with some other university papers. Holding the map in her hands, she breathed out with a sigh and realized she had been holding her breath again. The map was magical. It would lead her right to the university, and only to the university.

No reason to panic, Evyline thought, calming herself. You are smart enough to get into the school, you should be smart enough to FIND the school. As she straightened up and hoisted her backpack to her shoulders again, someone going past bumped into her.

Oh, I am sorry! Evyline called after the person. They didn't even bother acknowledging.

The map was quite easy to read, and though she ended up walking all the way with her heavy bags, she found the school relatively quickly. She bumped into several more people on the way, too focused on either the map or on the buildings around her to notice the people on the streets until it was too late. She apologized each time.

The University building was a huge round castle, surrounded by high walls and four towers. The complex was accessible by a bridge from the south or through a large park from the north. Evyline used the main entrance, taking the bridge in a slow leisurely stroll. The river below looked good enough to swim in, though she didn’t think it would be allowed. When she reached the entrance to the castle’s courtyard, she was amazed by the thickness of the walls. There must be a path up there, she thought, connecting the four towers to each other. Inside there was the courtyard and a path leading to the castle itself.

Two girls were sitting on a bench, their backs to the castle. One had hair as green as moss, softly floating in the wind. A crown of flowers grew out of the beautiful waves. Her hands moved like tree branches in the wind as she chattered excitedly. The other girl had two delicate horns growing out of her light brown frizzled hair. Her eyelashes were long and blue, bright enough to see from meters away, where Evyline had stopped to take a look around.

There was a man walking towards one of the towers, its bright yellow doors were shining like the sun above. He looked human, from behind at least. Evyline tried to remember all she knew about different magical species. Vampires did have striking resemblance to humans. Witches and wizards were basically humans but with the ability to cast spells. Shape Shifters tended to walk around in their human skins most of the time as well; the books said you could recognize them by their eyes. Werewolves would be indistinguishable to her; somebody else might be able to smell them, but she didn’t have that good of a nose.

She hadn’t been given any specific information about her accommodations, except that she would be sharing a room with two other girls, so she headed into the castle, hoping to find a guidance office.

Evyline had to stop again when she walked through the big double doors and got her first glimpse of the main staircase. It was huge, spanning the wide space of the hall. Its metal balustrades were exquisitely crafted, carefully depicting the story of the war. She wanted to run her hands over the artwork. The walls around were all the same rough stone that she had seen on the facade. Colourful carpets hung down from the ceiling, perhaps in an attempt to bring warmth into the vast space. Three enormous chandeliers lit up the lobby, their ornate rock-crystals reflecting the light around and casting specs of brighter light spots on the walls, making the whole space feel like a live art piece.

There were two tables at the end of the large lobby. One was empty, but there was a man sitting behind the other one. Her heart was pounding rapidly as she approached. It didn’t stop once she noticed two sharp-tipped ears peeking out from the man’s dark hair. He was an Elf. She should be feeling right at home. Instead, she felt small. She had practiced her first approach so many times in her head that it was memorized like a poem - or a spell. She did not know many real poems.

Hi, excuse me, Evyline said when she reached the table. I am new here and was wondering where I could get a key for my room?

She sounded like she had jumped right out of a book: ‘English Language for Beginners.’

The guy smiled at her. Surprisingly, that eased some of the knots starting to form in her throat. "Welcome to Volo Noscere. I can help you with that. What’s your name?"

Evyline Ayavleys.

He wore a loose white shirt. A name tag pinned on it read Lyionel. The way he stood straight and proud, and his darker toning told Evyline he must have grown up in a bigger settlement - maybe in the Capital itself? - but definitely South.

Evyline, just a second, Lyionel was typing her name into a laptop in front of him.

She stared at his long capable fingers, before he distracted her. Your journey was good, I hope?

Ohh... The airplane was so loud. Did you know your ears lock up when it takes off? I thought I might never hear properly again. A lady next to me suggested I have some water. It did help. Landing was the same, even more frightening, actually. I was afraid the plane would crash. The humans did not seem to mind at all when there was some turbulence... She realized she was babbling and stopped, he offered her a bright smile.

Believe it or not, first time flying is the same for humans as well, he said and after he had printed out a few papers, he ushered her closer. This is the plan for the University grounds, it’s not too big, but it is always easier to find your classrooms if you have one.

Lyionel said a spell Evyline had not heard before. Warm light emitted from his fingertips and a soft breeze played with his dark hair. A dot appeared on the paper and Evyline studied it with care.

That’s you. Your dormitory is right here. He was pointing at a separate structure that connected to the fortifications around the courtyard. It’s the one with bright yellow doors, you can’t miss it. This is the lesson schedule; you can collect your textbooks from the library. Here’s the key.

Thank you.

She smiled at a boy waiting behind her. When he smiled back two sharp teeth caught light and sparkled back at her. She shuddered.

Evyline was surprised by the space when she entered the common room. Everything looked cozy. The whole floor was covered by a dark red rug, hiding away the natural stone floor from the hallways. The walls were painted in warm beige and soft brown. Several spotlights in the ceiling illuminated the room so well that Evyline almost did not notice that the living space had no windows.

Hello? Evyline called out hesitantly. No answer.

A welcoming sitting area took up half of the room. A three-seater couch and an armchair with pillows in yellow, orange and red tossed on them made her want to sit down to see if it was as soft as it looked, so she did. She left her bags by the door and flopped down. She adjusted the pillows, rested her back against them and frowned. Evyline stood back up and gave the couch a calculating stare, before tiptoeing to one of the open doors leading to a bedroom and peeking in. A double bed in the center of the room took up almost all of the space, neatly folded sheets placed on the bare mattress. One narrow window sent a stripe of light across the bed and a closet standing next to the door. It was rather confining. Evyline marched to the second door and saw an identically cramped room. Shuffling past the bed to the window, she tried to open it and found that she couldn’t. She stomped back out to the living space, taking in the decent sized kitchen area with a little central island for three barstools, all of them upholstered in yellow leather. She scurried to the kitchen and opened several cupboard doors to find it equipped with anything one might need for cooking. She tested the faucet and got a splash of cool water in her face, her hand under the flowing water splattered it across the countertops. She giggled.

Looking back towards the bedrooms, her face fell. She dragged her bags to the room closest to the kitchen and furthest from the couch. It was exactly like the other two she had peeked into: grey, with natural unpainted stone walls that made it feel like a cave. It did not smell musty or humid; the air was fresh in all of the rooms, but she couldn’t help but feel a little less excited.

She had originally wanted to ask for a single bedroom, but her mother made her change her mind, saying it would be a lot easier to make new friends if she shared a room.

University was all about making connections, her mother had said. It was where she’d met Evyline’s dad, after all. But for Evyline, knowledge was far more important than making friends. Surely she would get along with her classmates just fine either way. According to the University’s informative booklet, she would even get a mentor to help her out with her studies when she needed assistance. Another ‘connection’ made without any effort on her part.

Evyline used the following days to get acquainted with the campus. It was all so different from her village and exploring her new surroundings kept her excited from her toes to the tips of her ears. That was one of the reasons she had arrived early; she wanted to have enough time to get used to the area and get a feel for the different magical energies of the place. She had read, in ‘Magic, Where and When to Use It’ by Cyril Dabrowski, that the energy surrounding a location could affect and influence spellcasting. Some places aided magical flow while others could hinder it. Mr. Dabrowski wrote that a certain spot in his own house had the worst conditions of spellcasting he’d ever encountered. Once, in fact, while experimenting with his theory on magical energy, he had been attacked by his own summoning spell. He’d moved out shortly after the incident. Evyline did not believe anyone would build a magical school in a place with bad energy, but since she hadn’t had much experience working magic in new places, she’d wanted to make sure her own magic would fit with the Castle’s.

On the second day in Rome, Evyline found a small bookstore run by a local witch, although, to her, it seemed the witch’s cat was really the one in charge. She was only allowed to look at the magical section in the bookstore after both the witch and her cat had confirmed her magical heritage. Apparently her sharp-tipped ears weren’t enough in this part of Rome. An identification spell had been required. Evyline tried not to be too offended.

After they were both convinced, Evyline spent a considerable amount of time looking through the bookshelves, noting sections she might want to return to later. She bought a small magic book titled ‘A Spell for a Spell’ that promised to teach its user interchangeable incantations. She had heard of wizards using different locking spells on treasure chests and offices and even living quarters. The only way to unlock them was to use the same spell in reverse. Having five or six different choices would come in handy. The caster could even weave in a security measure to stop a potential thief from trying more than three times. Evyline was not a thief, and she did not have anything particularly valuable to hide, but knowledge was power, so she took every opportunity to learn new things. Besides, she thought it was rude to leave the shop without buying anything after spending almost three hours going through the bookshelves. The owner had asked her twice if she was looking for something specific, if she could help at all, and had offered her a freshly picked herbal tea. Evyline had answered that books just simply interested her greatly and she felt at home in the bookstore, but needed no help in finding a particular book. She accepted the tea, though. The cat had kept an eye on her the whole time, which Evyline found a little bit bizarre, but she didn’t worry about it too much.

By the end of her first week, Evyline knew her way around the campus and the closer areas of the city. She had taken a sightseeing tour with a magical guide, who was either a nymph or a fairy, and knew a lot about the city's history and origins. She found it fascinating that the city was built on the largest ley lines in the whole of Europe. Most of the wars around Rome had been to establish dominance over the magically powerful spot.

When she got back to the dormitory from one of her adventures in the city, she was greeted by two giggling Fairy girls. One of them had two spiraling horns growing out of her short black hair and a cat-like tail flicking behind her. She had dark blue skin, flecked on her hands and face with a lighter shade. The second girl danced around on paws, her furry legs meeting violet skin somewhere under her short pants, because her hands were more human, if the pink zebra-stripes running along them were to be overlooked.

It looked like they had just arrived, because their bags were spread out across the common room floor, a few of them open, pieces of fabric sprawling out. Evyline stared, wide eyed, as one of them stripped right there in the open and tried on a dress the other girl handed to her. Neither of them seemed to notice Evyline.

You look so good in it! the girl with horns exclaimed as the other one swirled around, making the skirt fly around her.

Your turn! the zebra-girl said after coming to a full stop and pulled out an outfit from one of her bags. Several other items already scattered the floor as they were dismissed. Their common room looked messy.

Hello? Evyline said, still standing at the doorway.

Two heads turned sharply in her direction, making her take a tentative step back and bumping into the closed door behind her.

I’m Evyline. You must be-

Look at her dress! Look at her dress! one of the girls cried out, dropping a piece of clothing she had been holding.

Look at her hair! the other one said.

Evyline raised her hand towards her blond locks, touching the ends softly.

Oooh! Her ears! She’s an Elf! the first one said again, paddling to her and pulling her hair out of the way to get a better look at the sharp tips.

Evyline stepped away. Hey! What are you doing?

The girl’s face fell and she rushed to whisper something to the other one.

I think she doesn’t like to be touched? the horned Fae whispered back, loud enough for Evyline to make out.

I am right here. You can talk to me directly, Evyline said, staring at the whispering Fae as they ignored her. The least you could do is introduce yourselves.

I am Atalia, the girl with horns finally said, and this is Nata.

That was all the introduction she got.

That evening, when she went to the kitchen to prepare herself a salad, she found the refrigerator full of meat of all kinds and her tomatoes and cucumber thrown into a trash bin under the sink.

That’s when she knew she would not get along with her two roommates very well.

One day, on her way to the library, Evyline saw an older woman carrying a couple of boxes up the stairs. There were several more lined up at the bottom of the stairs, filled with bottles of various shapes and sizes. Some, firmly corked, held coloured liquids. Others seemed to contain a variety of odd ingredients: dried bay leaves, oleander, yarrow roots, a handful of chicken’s feet and some things she didn’t particularly want to consider, but most of the boxes held plants in identical pots.

There were many other students in the big lobby. Yes, several of them were waiting in line to get their key and lesson plans, but a group of Nymphs - or at least what Evyline thought was Nymphs - took the stairs up without sparing a glance to the older woman. A Vampire walked past the boxes, looked