B006T5JMRC EBOK (18 page)

“Here you go.” Illadar extended his arms, allowing a bundle of short logs to roll into Kale’s bent elbows.

Kale’s eyes met Illadar’s with confusion. “I don’t understand, do you need me to put these somewhere?”

“No.” Illadar walked back to the wood covering, taking a seat as he picked up an apple and began eating. “I want you to stand there and hold ’em until I say otherwise. If you drop the logs or move, your trainin’ ends.” Pieces of fruit spat out onto his chin as he spoke.

“What is this? I thought you said we would begin training today.” Kale felt furious.

“This is your trainin’, kid. How can you expect to withstand a battle of endurance if you can’t even hold a few logs for a little while? When swords clash there are no breaks. You can’t expect your opponent to politely stand back and wait while you regain composure. Sword fighting will test your endurance to the limits. If you get tired and can no longer hold your blade—you can count yourself dead. All it takes is one second with your guard down to lose your head; don’t ever forget that.”

Kale sighed unhappily, grunting as he better positioned his body. The hours passed and he finally saw Thomas emerge from the wooden shelter.

Illadar immediately began to explain the situation and soon he and Thomas were engaged in conversation while Kale miserably looked on. The logs were surprisingly light and easy to hold; it was the continuity of standing in the same position for a prolonged period of time eating away at his nerves.

“Can I stop now? This is ridiculous. I find it highly doubtful a battle of swords would go on this long.”

“The answer is no. You have to prepare for the unexpected—physically and mentally. Now don’t ask again, kid.”

Kale understood Illadar meant well, and when it came down to things, Illadar’s strong personality was just what he needed. He smirked as he began to hum loudly as if to spite Illadar with annoyance for such a horrible task. Kale knew Illadar expected him to fail and quit the menial task, begging for the daunting challenge to stop.

There is no way I’m going to show Illadar any weakness,
Kale thought as he grew even more determined to move forward with his training. He was anxious to put this petty task behind him.

Then, as if to mock Illadar even further, he began to lift the logs as though they were weights. He flashed a childish smile toward both Thomas and Illadar, who pretended as though they were unimpressed by his boasting.

As the day wore on and the sun began to set, beads of sweat continued to roll down Kale’s body and absorb into his clothing. The feeling grew uncomfortable. The mental strain was now taking its toll on his mind and, although the weight of the logs was still easily tolerated, the flow of blood within his arms had slowed and his fingers felt numb—he didn’t know how much more he could endure.

Illadar, who had enjoyed a day of recuperation and relaxation, glanced toward Kale. He could not believe such a thin, young man had held the heavy logs for an entire day. Even he would have collapsed by this time. “You know, kid—I don’t think you’re human.”

Kale’s eyes grew wide.
Did Thomas say something? How could he possibly know
?

His thoughts were broken by Illadar’s laughter. “Your face is too much, kid.” He smacked his knee as more laughter followed. “Learn to take a joke. After months of workin’ with you, I know better than most there’s no way you have any amazin’ abilities— Well, aside from bein’ surprisingly strong— But I’d hardly call it inhuman.” He lightly touched his neck. “Plus, you’re clumsy and complain a lot—let’s not forget the fact you don’t even know how to fight. Even the dull-witted giants from the northern mountains aren’t
that
bad.” His infectious laughter soon had Thomas gripping his stomach as they both enjoyed the comic relief.

Kale scrunched his face; he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or insulted.

“Go ahead and set the wood over here.” Illadar motioned past Kale. “Those puny arms of yours are pretty strong, I’ll give ya’ that.”

Kale hadn’t realized the strain his body endured until taking his first step. His knee joints locked which nearly caused him to fall.

Thomas quickly rushed to his aid, helping him walk toward a pit Illadar had dug for the fire. As the logs rolled from his arms, Kale could see deep indentations on his skin where the logs had pressed. He balled a firm fist, flexing his forearm which immediately began to throb as the blood rushed through, circulating to his fingertips. Kale moaned as he lowered his aching body to a seated position.

Thomas followed, patting Kale gently on the back. “I’m very proud of you.” He smiled warmly. “Now, eat this to regain your energy.” Thomas handed Kale a bread roll stuffed with pulled pork strips. “Enjoy, for this will be our last meal on Mortimer.”

“That’s right, kid, tomorrow you’ll be providing us with food so I suggest you sleep soon.” Illadar began to pile twigs and leaves into the bottom of the pit as he spoke. He then withdrew a piece of flint from his pocket, striking it many times until he finally grew too frustrated with himself to continue. “Curses, it’s still too damp to catch fire. I’ll be back.” He sighed, leaving in search of dry foliage to use.

After a few minutes passed, Thomas glanced around to ensure they were truly alone before turning toward Kale. “Your strength is remarkable! Though I must say, it is not a normal human characteristic to endure such a tedious task without years of training. I presume you’ve inherited some of your former traits. Have you noticed anything else aside from your exceptional strength? It’s important you tell me if so; this is all new to both of us and we cannot risk something going wrong.”

“Well,” Kale thought of his unexplained ability to heat things with the touch of his palms, “there is one thing.” He lowered his voice, looking around cautiously. “I’d really rather speak about this later though—when it’s safe.”

Thomas nodded. “Well,” he winked “since he isn’t back just yet, I suppose I could assist the situation.” Thomas pointed a finger toward the pit and whispered, “
Eraton avoria
.” The twigs immediately ignited, creating a crackling fire that quickly fed off the pile of logs. “I think a little magic will be all right this time. It’s getting late and we’ve all had a stressful past couple of days.” Thomas pulled the flint close to him and Kale so it would not draw suspicion as to how the fire had started.

Upon Illadar’s return to camp, he appeared to be full of enthusiasm—this, however, lasted only moments as he quickly took note of the crackling fire. He let the small bundle of dried sticks fall to the floor. “I see you were able to start the fire,” He mumbled as he sat near the pit, enjoying the comforting warmth.

Not much later, Kale grew too tired to hold his eyes open. His strength was nearly depleted and he was ready to sleep. He crawled his way under the covering and instantly drifted into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Kale awoke to a firm hand nudging against his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Illadar kneeling outside the structure with a long pointed stick in his grasp. “Rise n’ shine, kid. I’m hungry, which means it’s time for you to go hunt for us.”

Kale slowly achieved an upright position, dusting off his tunic as he emerged from the sleeping area. Hunting was something he was fond of, though he had not attempted it since his excursion with Neelan;even then, he hadn’t actually made the kill. As a dragon it seemed so simple to hunt for food—he towered over all animals with no threats to himself. Kale took a deep breath and reached toward the sky to limber his body before taking the spear from Illadar’s grasp.

“Shouldn’t I be hunting while it’s dark out?” Kale glanced toward the clear, sunny sky.

“A true hunter can catch their prey at any given time, regardless of it being day or night. You will find many animals are sippin’ a mornin’ drink or eatin’ berries—it’s pretty active and you shouldn’t have a problem if you’ve got half a brain.” Illadar extended his arm, pointing toward a thick patch of tall grass and bushes. “I’ll be comin’ with you to ensure you do things right. You take the lead—I will assist when needed, but you must make the kill. We won’t be returnin’ until you get us a meal.” He nudged Kale to begin moving and bid farewell to Thomas, who would be watching over their camp while they were out within the forest.

A couple of hours passed and Illadar watched as Kale frightened away one animal after another.

Although he had been a great hunter as the
Black Dragon, Firehart
, as a human Kale lacked coordination and the skill to move stealthily.

Over the course of another hour, Illadar explained various techniques to help Kale improve his skill at hunting. He watched Kale quickly improve and proudly smiled at the accomplishment. “Things take time, kid, but you’re on the right track.”

Kale couldn’t believe Illadar was actually paying him a compliment. Maybe there
was
hope for their friendship to strengthen. Kale had to admit—for just beginning, he was getting quite good at creeping silently through the forest and steadily thrusting the spear. As his stomach rumbled, Kale couldn’t help but think of Thomas who he knew by now must be craving food as well. The incredibly hot day added to their increasing fatigue as the sun seemed to absorb more of their energy with each passing minute.

Suddenly, Kale stopped and looked toward Illadar. He brought a finger to his eye, and then pointed forward—a signal Illadar taught him to alert others of nearby movement. Kale grasped the wood spear tightly within his right hand as he carefully stepped closer to the target so the large trees would not obstruct his view. As his left foot came down, it softly crunched upon a twig he had not seen.

The grey animal’s long slender ears shot up and its black oval eyes shifted to both sides. It dropped the grass from its mouth before taking off in a swift gallop.

“Curses! It saw me!” Kale whispered in anger to Illadar before sprinting after the briskly moving animal. “I’m not going to fail again!” He leapt and weaved around the thick vegetation, keeping within range of the creature. He still needed to get closer before his confidence would allow his hand to release the weapon.

As he continued to run, he could feel a familiar sensation returning once again—his palm was growing steadily warmer. Despite the distraction, he pushed on while keeping focus on the animal. Kale could now smell the scent of burning wood as a light stream of smoke escaped from between his fingers.

Closer—closer—just a little closer
, Kale narrowed his eyes,
now
! He thrust his arm forward as the weapon released from his grasp. Kale stood in astonishment as he saw the weapon ignite into a spear of flames which flew at amazing speed toward the animal.

The flaming tip pierced through the animal’s skin with ease. They watched in silence as it took a few more staggering steps forward. The gaping hole in its round torso from the attack drained its remaining life. The grey-haired animal’s long legs buckled, causing it to collapse onto its side with a thud.

Kale quickly ran to the animal which had small flames still feeding upon its stiff fur. He frantically began to pat at the hair to calm the fire. “Illadar, can’t you help?!” Kale called out.

After managing to get everything under control, Kale turned to face Illadar. He was frustrated at the lack of help Illadar had offered, leaving him alone to preserve their meal from burning.

Illadar stood, frozen in place as his mouth hung open in a mix of confusion and anger. “I’m gonna’ ask you one last time, kid—who, or
what,
are you?”

Chapter 14: It’s Time

K
ale was so focused on recovering the burnt animal he hadn’t taken notice of Illadar’s expression of shock. As Kale realized the serious nature of the situation, he swallowed hard—unsure of what to do. He couldn’t understand why his ability had come without warning.

“I,” Kale fought to find the right words, wishing Thomas was around to assist as he always had before. “I’ll tell you everything, I swear it—but not now. Please understand that I just can’t.”

“Curses, kid!” Illadar slammed his fist against the trunk of a large tree. “This is the same crud you told me last time, yet I was willin’ to overlook it, and come with you anyway. I forced myself to believe I imagined the intensity when you gripped my neck that night. You’ve gone too far this time—it’s just too much. I’m not going to continue travelin’ with someone who can ignite wood into flames with a mere touch and won’t explain why. Either you tell me who you really are, or you and Thomas are on your own.” He locked eyes with Kale. “You’re no normal human—that much I’m sure.”

Kale had been backed into a mental corner. He weighed out the options of telling Illadar the truth or risk losing him forever. He knew in his heart that allowing Illadar to go was not a wise or favored choice. Kale wanted Illadar to teach him more. Every ally he could gather to stand and fight against Jedah’s army was a valuable asset.

Aside from the obvious reasons to keep Illadar with them, he had become a good friend, despite their disagreements.

“All right... I’ll tell you the truth about my past.” Kale took in a deep breath as he parted his lips to confess everything. Before the first words could escape from his mouth, an eerie howl sounded nearby.