Into the Fray: Volume 1 of The Sorcerers of Jhanvia Series (8 page)

A familiar voice spoke from the darkness behind her. “Our people took care of the proper disposition of your friends,” Cliona explained.

“Thank you,” she responded softly through her sadness, staring at the scene before her. Silence ruled for several moments while she absorbed the surrounding images.

“Something must be done to bring order to this land,” the young one commented.

“Order is just dormant chaos,” was the reply.

Several moments passed in silence once again.

“I cannot let this stand,” Kaitra declared.

“There is a great darkness that gains strength with each day. Without a force to counter it, evil will rule.”

Kaitra’s eyes found the blood stains on the far stone platform that had spread out and run down a few of the steps. She sucked in a deep breath as a piece of her heart was torn away.

Cliona continued. “Kulon spoke of you often. She believed that your destiny was to restore the light and bring order to this land. We can help you to realize your potential.”

“I am only one person,” she replied softly.

“That is true. But single individuals can bring about swift and decisive change. The strength of your spirit will unite disparate forces. The truth in your heart will be your guide. Your destiny lies in your hands. It is now up to you to grab hold.”

That bold statement ripped away at Kaitra’s interminable lack of self-confidence. She turned around to see that she was alone.

The high-pitched squeal of a playful child outside the hut startled the warrior from her deep unconscious state. The brief adrenaline rush that followed quickened her realization of the immense unpleasantness resulting from the hangover that would haunt all her waking moments this day. She sat up, and that quickly shifted the pain in her head to a different place.

‘Dear mother, what have I done?’ she thought to herself. That was the question for which she already knew the answer as she held her head
in her hands. Several moments passed, full of moaning and wallowing in the intense throbbing before any indication of actually getting out of bed manifested. “I must never have Cliona’s mead again,” she quietly promised herself out loud.

She could hear the wind in the trees and the goings-on outside. That added to the conflict between the warrior who wanted to maintain her honor and the pained lump that wanted to fall unconscious in the bed until the next sunrise. She slowly began to stand, stopping half way to take a deep breath for strength. It was just at the moment when she was able to stand up fully that the door burst open. Sunlight and fresh air poured into the hut, knocking her backward onto the bed.

“Good morning,” a cheerful voice announced.

One desperate arm reached up as a shield against the light as the warrior begged in a strained voice, “Close the door…please.”

As the portal to the outside world closed, the internal light became balanced, revealing Kaitra as the culprit of that malicious deed.

“What is the time?” asked Kidreyli.

“It approaches midday.” Kaitra smiled as the predicament that entangled her friend became apparent.

“I apologize.” The warrior stood, her face describing in great detail the pain that accompanied that act. She struggled to achieve but a modicum of pleasantness against the onslaught of Nono, the discomfort fairy. She stated, “I meant to rise early.”

“So you could leave?” Kaitra finished her sentence.

“I have to go.”

“I need you to stay,” she replied firmly. The sorceress reached over and took Kidreyli’s hand in hers. “I have made some decisions about my future and I need your help. I need you to teach me how to fight.”

“You have your magics.”

“Yes, for self-defense. I need to develop offensive skills. Most certainly you are the best qualified to teach such things.”

Kidreyli’s feathers fluffed a little. “That is true.”

“There, you see,” Kaitra fumbled over her words, “I will learn from the best and, thereby, become…one of the best. You would find me to be an excellent student. I would not disappoint you.”

Kidreyli winced at the twisted logic as she took a moment to sit and contemplate her next question. She reached for a leather flask of water and watched for the reaction out of the corner of her eyes as she asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?”

The sorceress looked downward, knowing the truth was not what her friend wanted to hear. “No.”

“Taking someone’s life will inevitably change you forever. Your spirit will be exposed to the darkest recesses within your being. That darkness is very alluring. It intoxicates you with a sense of divine power. If you are unable to maintain your awareness, it will swallow you whole and you will become no better than those you perceive as your enemies. This will be your greatest challenge.”

“I understand,” Kaitra humbly replied. “There are certainly difficulties awaiting me along this path, but it is something I must pursue. Please, do this for me.”

Kidreyli paused for a moment to look her friend in the eyes to assess her sincerity, and then she conceded, “Very well. Do you have a preference for a type of weapon?”

The sorceress was so excited. “I believe that I would be best with a bow, but I would like to try using a sword, since I have one now.”

“Give me an hour or so to get what we need and I’ll meet you at the big oak tree behind the huts.”

Kaitra took the warrior’s hand, “Thank you so much.” She turned and bounded out into the daylight.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” were the thoughts that entered Kidreyli’s mind from without.

“So do I, Tyral. So do I.”

At the appointed time, Kidreyli had gathered a few weapons under a great oak at the edge of the forest. The sun was very warm and the freshening breeze in the shade of the tree was welcome. She spent this time alone letting her mind wander from one thing to another while relaxing and sharpening her blade. The fates had brought her to this place in this time, surrounded by many friendly, yet mysterious folk. And what to make of this sorceress born of eastern royalty, who now professed a desire to become a warrior? It did cross her mind that someone might have placed a spell on her as a joke. Certainly if she told this story to a stranger they would probably think she was either touched or under some nefarious influence. But her spirit continued to reassure her that all would be revealed in time.

Just then a large butterfly flitted up from the field, circled a few times to make sure it was safe, and landed on Kidreyli’s shoulder. Its wings were deep blue bordered with black trim. Small black circles were randomly painted within the blue background. It sat quietly for the longest time, slowly moving its wings back and forth while Kidreyli sat and watched, hoping to not disturb this rather special moment.

“My people believe that the Renri butterfly only touches a person of gentle spirit,” explained Kaitra as she carefully approached.

“I’m not sure about that, but she is very beautiful.”

“It’s a he,” Kaitra corrected her. “The males have all the color.”

Kidreyli smiled at her words and then watched as the butterfly stayed for a few more moments, taking its ease. Suddenly, it jumped on a breath of wind and fluttered off into the trees.

“Sorry I’m a little late,” the sorceress apologized. “I was caught up talking to Cliona.”

“That’s all right. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on things. I borrowed a bow and a quiver of arrows from Donnlu, who is one of the hunters here. Shall we begin?”

“Yes, please,” Kaitra was excited.

“Are you primarily right or left-handed?”

“Left-handed.”

The warrior released the straps of her leather bracer on her right arm and handed it to her, “Put this on.” Once Kaitra had done that, she continued, “Now, hold the bow in your right hand. Load the arrow on the bowstring with your left hand and place the shaft of the arrow on top of your bow hand against the bow.”

She did as instructed.

“Good. See the cloth I placed between two standing sticks at about twenty paces? Line up the flight of the arrow with the target, slowly pull back the arrow and let it fly.”

Kaitra did as she was told, but jumped a bit when she released the arrow. The shaft careened off her hand and landed on the ground about ten feet away.

Thoughts entered Kidreyli’s mind, “I must say this is the best entertainment I have had in a long time.”

The warrior flashed a nasty look toward Tyral, who was standing behind them in the shade of a tree.

“Let’s try that again, shall we?” Kidreyli encouraged. “Archery is an art and should be approached as such. A disciplined mind is the key. Smooth flowing motions and quiet nerves bring success. Now, load another arrow.” Kaitra complied. The Valtyr continued, “All right, close your eyes and see the arrow fly into its target. Now, keep that image in your mind and open your eyes. Slowly pull back the arrow while taking in a deep breath and line up the target. Release that breath slowly and relax your nerves, and just as you are about to run out of air, gently release the arrow.”

She followed the instructions well and the arrow sailed but a breath over the desired target. “That was close,” her excitement poured forth in her voice.

“Well done,” the warrior concluded. “Now try it again, but focus a bit more on the arrow’s line of flight. Remember, take your time and relax.”

Kaitra loaded another arrow and slowly worked through the previous instructions in her mind. At the proper moment, she let the arrow
fly. It clipped the bottom left corner of the target and knocked it to the ground. “I did it!” she exclaimed with bright eyes.

“Yes, you did. You have successfully killed a motionless piece of cloth at twenty paces.”

“Hey….”

The Valtyr laughed, “Only kidding, but you get my point? The targets you will be using that weapon against will not be stationary and will likely be more than twenty paces away.”

“I understand. But that was pretty good, don’t you think?” Kaitra begged for approval.

“That was very good.”

In Kidreyli’s mind she heard, “If memory serves, that was much better than your first efforts.”

“Quiet, Tyral,” she said under her breath.

“What did you say?” asked Kaitra.

“Nothing,” lied the Valtyr. “Shall we try the sword next?”

The girl nodded her approval. Kidreyli walked over, picked up the two sticks that had been used for the target and brought them back into the shade of the tree.

The Valtyr explained, “We will use these to start so that neither of us will be injured. As with the bow, a disciplined mind is key to the effective use of this weapon. The sword requires quick reactions, physical strength and stamina. Defensive motions must be strong and decisive. Offensive motions can be very effective even if little strength is behind them. It doesn’t require much force to do damage with a sharp blade. Shall we try defense first?”

“All right,” Kaitra’s confidence was low, but she was eager to try.

“Hold your weapon with both hands,” instructed Kidreyli. “I will come at you. Try to block or deflect my weapon so that it does not hit you.”

The Valtyr came at her opponent in slow motion, giving her plenty of opportunity to react. She stopped, provided a few recommendations for improvement, and started again at a quicker pace. Kaitra was slow
in her defense and her footwork was weak. It was quickly apparent to both of them that it would take some time for her to become proficient.

Kidreyli explained, “Always remember that in battle there are no rules. If you feel yourself faltering, you can always use your magics to defend yourself. Consider them a significant weapon in your arsenal. At this point, I would recommend that you focus developing your expertise with the bow. You have a natural aptitude for it and some concentrated effort will make you a formidable archer in a short time. We can work on the sword at a later time.”

Kaitra agreed. It was obvious she had much to learn with the sword. The Valtyr left her to practice on her own and she took full advantage of it. For the rest of the day, she fired arrows at the target. She regularly changed distance and direction to provide a variety of challenges. She only took a short break for dinner of about thirty minutes before charging back into the field for more. Kidreyli looked in on her a few times. It felt as if she was interfering in her efforts, so she mostly stayed away, but what she saw impressed her.