LKI-SAMPLE 2 CHARACTER

As usual, they rose with the dawn. The enormous black cat flicked one yellow eye open and stretched his way over to the cage. Gently knocked the lock down freeing the crow, who shot out like a white bullet and flew circles over the knight-lizard until at last all three were ready. They saw her, still asleep and begun their malicious symphony. Smug howling, frenzied clawing and low hissing, all in one horrific movement. The alchemists living alarm clock, as it was known around the university.

She woke up but kept her eyes closed. Enjoying for a moment, the feeling of the cool desk against her face. The animals didn’t stop and she groaned slowly,” stop it”.
Trying to lift her head up, she got halfway before it crashed down, weighed down by the gallons of wine they’d consumed the night before. Her hair sprung around her in manic black and white tangles, her face felt puffy and behind her eyes, a fireworks display of pain was firing off. She didn’t want to look but she knew that the white dress she’d bought for today (and stupidly worn last night), would be ripped and covered in red blotches.
It was the type of day where she would have been happy falling out of the chair and sleeping the whole day away on the floor. Of course, they wouldn’t let her. Not a minute later they were surrounding her. The cat hopped up on the desk and gleefully swiped at her face,

“Stop” she moaned,

The raven dashed in circles above her. Screeching at his loudest.

“Come on” her throat was strained, dry and even the low pleading hurt. And just before the knight began climbing her back, she knew that they’d won. “ Ok, ok, ok! I’m up”
The alchemist got up from the desk and stood there for a dizzy moment gathering herself. The pests, satisfied, for now, dispersed. The cat went through the window leaving the raven and knight to a game of chess.
Already, having a beyond bad day, she trudged over to the mirror and looked herself over. Concluding quickly that she looked terrible. She stuck her tongue out at her reflection and set to fixing it.

After a quick bath, sometime in front of the mirror and a long breakfast she felt like herself again, the hangover banished to some unfortunate corner of her mind.  She felt bad looking at the room around her. After graduation, when the university had kindly handed it to her it was a tiny (but cosy) laboratory overlooking the entire campus. Now it better fitted a troll than an alchemist. Clothes lay here and there in disorganised piles, plates and glasses were stacked in an unstable tower on the sink and there seemed to be a scrap of paper everywhere she looked.
Just looking at the mess tired her but, “ I’ll tidy it up later, “ she promised to the lizard. Who rolled a black eye in disbelief. “ Well, actually tomorrow might be better…

With the white dress in its haggard state. She opted for a classic look with which to face the board. Over a black shirt, a purple cloak flowed around her, buttoned up in gold at her chest. Of course, it wouldn’t have been complete without the beaked half-mask covering her face. In days past when people still feared alchemy and sorcery, the mask was a symbol of true terror. And was still menacing in its sharp, silent way. It wasn’t her aim to terrorise anyone however so she’d painted hers white and stencilled pink flowers around it.
 She looked rather striking so much so that she spent almost an hour strutting in front of the mirror, doing little twirls to make the cloak fly. She looked professional enough to hide the fact she’d only graduated a month ago, and hopefully, the board would forget that she'd already found time to splash through a million gold government grant.

The cat returned, with a gentle meow and her pocket watch held in its mouth. She thanked him, “ well wish me luck”, she addressed the three who met her with indifference. “Humph”, the alchemist pulled on her shoes and left, slamming the door.
Halfway down the spiralling stairs, there was a familiar rattling and the knight raced down to her holding a brown envelope. It contained every scrap of research she’d conducted that month and of course her presentation to the board. “ Thank you,” she said taking it politely. Glad that the mask covered her blushing cheeks. The lizard hissed and presented its head. Smoothing the cold scales quickly gave her a slight comfort.

II

The plaza was completely empty. So she noticed Zylia and her golden uniform the moment she stepped out. The two girls waved and then screeching dashed across the sand to each other. They met with a tight hug,

“ Are you prepared ?“ Zylia asked anxiously. Who, do to the drunken hours she'd invested in the topic was just as gut-twisted about the hearing's outcome.

“ I think so... well I hope so” she tapped the envelope and grinned, “ how’s your head?”

“ Terrible”, she said holding it.

“ Great let’s go then”

They could only walk up together as far as the gate, of the northern tower. Which was hidden from the rest of the campus with giant stone walls?
When they approached two gargoyles ripped themselves from the arch above it and checked Lille’s invitation. They grunted with approval and pulled the enormous doors apart. Just so that they revealed the tower's base. Zylia squeezed her hand for good luck and whispered quickly, “ you’ve got this”.
 Lille smiled behind her mask and strode inside, making sure that her cloak flew behind her grandly. The gate slammed violently behind her with a menacing sense of finality.

The northern tower was the building which ruled the campus. Both because it was by far the biggest. Stretching so far up that its crown broke through the clouds and even when she craned her neck, Lille couldn’t see where it ended. And because it was where the board was housed. Five of the most elite scholars in the world. So shut away in the vast halls, that they never left. Known for their scathing eyes that could point out holes in even the most secure of works. The prospect of meeting with them was terrifying to most students. So much so that even those nominated to dine with them due to some achievement would rather outright drop-out than do it. Getting that small black letter with the three tiny words in flourished red ink,“ Board hearing scheduled”, had been known to drive people into comas.
Lille was nervous, but above that instinct was a general feeling of calm.
Yes. She’d bitten of miles more than she could chew. But she had a strong case, she knew that. Because she was the one who’d sat up for nights without sleep, drafting and reworking it. Every corridor of her mind was lined with her defence.
 Her head high and confidence beaming from her she strode inside with the dignity of any court alchemist.

III

The hearing room was more fit to be a ballroom. It was a spacious semi-circle, lavishly decorate with low swinging chandeliers, twisted columns and bouquets of green and white flowers. The floor was composed like an emerald chessboard with glinting squares. The ceiling was one large mirror. Which instead of twirling dancers only reflected the slightly nervous figure of the alchemist.
It felt cavernous and hollow, filling Lille with a slow sense of dread as it loomed, dwarfing her. There was no furniture, although trials were known to run for hours the accused were forced to stand without even a stool to rest on. At the far back, behind the lone table sat, in their wooden thrones, the board.

They were the most curious ensemble of characters Lille had ever laid eyes on.Decorated as elegantly as the room, wearing such fine silks and so many emeralds and jewels it made her dizzy. From the way they sat unmovingly, barely blinking, they looked more like statues than people.
 No two looked even similar. On the far right, slumped in his chair was a gnome. His loose grey skin poured over his face, one eye was missing and the more other was a glaring circle from behind a broken pince-nez. His elegant suit looked deformed on his stubby body. Lille, who had made sure to study the board before coming,  knew him as the kingdom's master of finances. As well as the record holder for students he drove to tears during hearings.
 Not wanting to catch his eye she looked to her left. Where a wizard who reached to the ceiling was sat. Naturally, he was 5 metres tall and already towered over his colleagues but he was also wearing a turban that grew him 3 metres taller.  He seemed to be sleeping, so Lille focused on the middle, where looking her over with a hawk's eye was Madam  Amaryll.

Head of the board, headmistress of the university and the kingdoms general and military advisor for three decades. She was a lean woman casually dressed with a strict posture Despite her modest appearance she held total dominion over the room, if she asked them to stop breathing, they would have (Lille included).

Nobody spoke, Amaryll tapped her nails impatiently on the desk. Confused and unnerved, Lille was unsure of what to do. She moved from leg to leg before finally speaking.

" Members of the board, I am here to present my ca-"

"Defend" the headmistress cut her off. The one word echoed through the room forcing the rest of the board to sit up. The alchemist baulked feeling as though she were six again.

" Members of the board, I am here to defend myself and my research"

She waited for a second, the board stayed quiet and finally finding a footing of confidence she sprung into her speech, " I believe I can do it within the minute. For you see, everything I did was done under the monarch's eye. The king and his court signed off on every grant they gave me, every piece of research I presented and every single man allocated to me. In this folder, I have these documents with signatures from the treasury, the kings general and the king himself."

" A court of idiots," the gnome grunted

Lille whipped around to him, her cloak spun, she felt like her triumphant self again, " That may be so, but the king's court is still a higher authority than the university". She smiled under the mask, looking for Amarylls reaction. Before she could speak, Lille marched over to the desk and slammed the signatures, walking the wizard. The headmistress' lips twitched and she smiled gently.

" But you are not here to defend yourself to the king and this is not his court. You're here to keep your place at the university, your room and your laboratory. " Her voice was sweet but filled with a cloying poison that made Lilles eyes narrow with hatred. The headmistress leant forward amused, she'd seen it before. " Now tell us, why did you think you could harvest dragon-fire as an energy source?"

Not missing a beat the alchemist fired back, " my theory was sound, all calculations supported it and I had the backing of the universities zoologist. Only, the practice did not come out as expected."

" You killed 25 men Ms Hargrave"

The rest of the room had vanished and it the two could only see themselves on the rooms chessboard. Lille opened her mouths. And the duel continued...