Wings of Arian (8 page)

“Kiora?”

She jumped, slamming the book shut. “Yes?”

“Oh good your awake,” Emane said from outside.

Kiora rolled her eyes, if she wasn’t awake, she certainly would have been after his yelling into her tent.

“Malena asked me to have you meet us over at the meeting hall.”

“I’ll be right over.” She listened to his footsteps as he walked away. Throwing on a clean set of clothes, she quickly brushed through her hair, grimacing as she ripped through sections that still had chunks of mud hidden in it from yesterday. Fumbling around, she looked for a clip to pull her hair back but couldn’t find one. Her hair was long and thick, but fine. It was always flying in her face and tickling her nose.
Oh well
, she thought as she threw it back over her slender shoulders.

Her stomach growled. Hoping Malena had called them for breakfast, she headed over to the red and white tent. As she walked, the most delicious smells wafted towards her. Her mouth was watering by the time she entered the tent.

Emane was sitting at the table talking to Aleric, while Malena flitted just above the table. Malena noticed her first and broke into a smile, her red lips parting to reveal perfectly tiny white teeth.

Aleric looked up as well, “Good morning Kiora. Hungry?”

Before she could answer, another growl erupted from her stomach. “Ummm, yes,” she said, hurrying to take her place next to Aleric. Pulling her chair in she looked up to find Emane staring at her.

“What?” Kiora asked, wondering if she had something horrible stuck to her face.

He jolted before answering quickly, “Nothing.” His ears turned read as he switched his attention to the back wall.

Before she could push the issue further, the tent flaps opened and the food came in carried by the Guardians. Each one laid their dishes on the table, but before they could eat Malena picked up a small box and flew it over to Kiora.

“This is for you Kiora. A gift from us. We should have given it to you earlier, but it wasn’t quite ready.”

Kiora reached out and took the gift. A simple wooden box with silver hinges on the back side. “What is it?” she asked.

“Open it,” Malena urged.

Kiora looked over to Aleric who smiled and motioned to the box. She nervously lifted the lid. With a slight gasp she covered her mouth with her hand. “Malena, its beautiful!” Inside lay a rather large round sapphire on a bed of green velvet. Reaching in, she ran her finger over the delicate silver vines and leaves that ran around the brilliant blue pendant, a sigh escaping from her lips. A chain slipped through the vines near the top and lay coiled beneath it. Malena flew over and pulled it out of the box. “This pendant is endowed with a special kind of magic,” she said, placing the chain over Kiora’s head. “This will always connect you with us, no matter how far apart we are. If you are in need of our help, for any reason, all you need to do is call.”

Kiora was speechless. It was spectacular. Looking down, she fingered it, watching the blue dance around the facets of the stone. “Thank you” she whispered.

Malena flew in and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you. We had intended to present this to you at a celebration, but things are progressing quicker than we anticipated. And in light of yesterday’s situation, Eleana felt it was important that we be prepared. Now, you all should eat before your breakfast gets cold.”

Kiora slid the pendant under her shirt and tried to blink back a threatening tear.

Aleric smiled broadly, “That is quite a gift, Kiora. Now let’s eat.”

Looking around at the dishes before her she picked out some berries that looked vaguely familiar, they were wrapped in a crust, sugar crystals sprinkled across the top. She spooned something thick and creamy that smelled different, but delicious. And something she had started calling bread, it was as close to bread as she could expect here and infinitely better than the stuff she was used too. Picking up her cup, she took a drink, smiling as the bubbles tickled her tongue. Looking over the rim of her cup she watched as Emane pulled his cup to his lips. He took a drink, nearly choking before looking at his cup in confusion and then cautiously taking another sip. It had scared her half to death the first time she had tried it. The food here was rarely recognizable but considerably better than anything she had eaten at home. She ate until she thought her sides would burst. As she sat back in her chair trying to decide if she could fit just one more bite in, Aleric cleared his throat placing his napkin on the table.

“Kiora, you already know what it is you must be working on. Emane, I will be working with you today.” He stood and waited for the others to do the same, Kiora knew Aleric meant to get down to business.

“Kiora,” Aleric said as she followed him outside, “make sure you read everything carefully. The key to learning this as fast as possible will be concentration. Do not let your mind wander.”

Kiora nodded and headed toward her tent.

“Where would my mind be wandering to?” she wondered aloud.

***

As they left Kiora to work, Aleric lead Emane off in a new direction.

Emane kept glancing back over his shoulder. “Are you sure it’s safe to leave her alone?”

“Quite safe. The Guardians are keeping watch for the Fallen Ones. As long as Kiora stays within the Hollow, she is perfectly protected.”

“Hmmm,” Emane grunted, throwing another glance backwards and tripping on a tree root. Stumbling forward he righted himself, glaring at the offending root before finishing. “She seems to attract trouble doesn’t she?”

Aleric chuckled, “She is bound to, I’m afraid. I am surprised you care so much, considering your first meeting.”

Emane’s ears turned red again. “Well, I said I would protect her, didn’t I?”

“That you did,” he said, turning his head to the side to hide his grin.

Emane rolled his eyes. “What are we working on today?”

“Two things. First we need to help you understand what it is you have agreed to do, and second, we will work on your combat skills.”

Emane looked at him sideways, “
You
are going to help me work on my combat skills?”

“In a way, but first you must learn not to underestimate magic.”

“I don’t underestimate magic!”

“With all due respect, Emane,” Aleric stopped abruptly, allowing Emane to move in front of him, “you have always underestimated magic.”

Emane swung around, “I have never—”

Aleric abruptly raised his hand, palm out. Emane found himself being picked up in the air and thrown backwards. He landed hard and rolled. Coming up onto his hands and knees he coughed, wiping the dirt from his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

Aleric calmly walked over to him and bent down to take his arm. “Are you hurt?”

Prince Emane jerked his arm out of Aleric’s hand. “What did you do that for?!” he yelled, sitting back on his heels.

“I needed to give you a taste of magic.”

Emane jumped to his feet, brushing himself off. “A taste?! That wasn’t a taste, Aleric. You threw me a good twenty feet!” he yelled, gesturing back to where they had been standing.

“So I did.” Aleric said judging the distance. Giving him cold hard stare he finished, “but yes, Prince, that was just a taste.”

“You can’t be serious!” Emane said, still brushing off his pants.

“Very serious. That is only a hint of what I can do, and nothing compared to what evil will do to you. You were lucky you were dealing with only the Hounds last time.”

“
Lucky
?! Those things nearly killed us both.”

“Lucky.” Aleric repeated, his blue eyes very serious. “The Hounds are harmless unless they get close enough to bite you. Dralazar does not need to be nearly that close to kill. If you want to survive, you must learn to combat against magic.”

Emane gaped, “How am I supposed to do that?” he finally said, “You didn’t even touch me and you threw me twenty feet in the air.”

“First, you need to learn when to not be stupid.” Aleric said holding up a finger. “There are times when hiding is the only acceptable option. Second, you will need to learn to trust and depend on Kiora. She will be able to fight magic with magic. And finally, you will need to learn to dodge magic. Those with magic can, amongst other skills, throw their magic. It can come out in a visible bolt, more damaging, or as a force that cannot be seen, as you just experienced. That is what we will be working on today.”

“Dodging?” Emane repeated dryly.

“Yes.”Emane brushed his hair off his forehead. “You have got to be kidding.” His hand dropped loosely back to his side.

Aleric held his gaze before answering, “No.”

Emane stared at him incredulously, blood rising in his face. “How can I dodge what I can’t see?”

“You learn how it works and what its limitations are, and you watch for signs,” said Aleric patiently.

Emane clenched his fists before pacing over to the nearest tree and back. “Aleric, why didn’t you already teach me this stuff? We had years of lessons at the castle.”

Aleric contemplated a second before answering. “Prince Emane, your father asked me to teach you what I could. Had you shown more interest in your history lessons, perhaps I would have taken time to teach you more. But, you were always preoccupied with getting down to your combat lessons. I never had much of your attention.” Emane stopped, his shoulders pulled up, hands still fisted at his side. Aleric sighed, “It is regrettable. Had I realized your role in all of this, I may have worked harder to make you understand.”

Emane’s head lowered. It was true. Aleric never really had much of his attention. “I should have listened more.”

Aleric placed his weathered hand on Emane’s shoulder. “Just listen to me now.”

Emane looked into the eyes of his teacher and gave a slow regrettable nod of acknowledgment.

“Come, we have work to do.”

***

Back in the tent Kiora had decided to start with the first lesson, Bubbles. It sounded like it should be interesting

A Bubble is a short term protection against magical detection. The bubble will not only remove you from the sight of others, but also keep any magical threads inside of it trapped. Most bubbles can only be maintained for a short period, no more than an hour. It is perfect for emergencies. A bubble can be made larger or smaller depending on the needs of the person making the bubble. However, the more people under the bubble the more energy it takes to maintain it and therefore the shorter time you have before the bubble lapses and you are again visible to those looking for you. The bubble is made by accessing your magic and envisioning what you would like to have happen. Stay focused and do not lose sight of what it is you are trying to accomplish.

“Accessing my magic, what does that even mean?”

Setting the book down she closed her eyes imagining a bubble it as it grew bigger and bigger, surrounding her. One bubble turned to many as her mind wandered. Soon she was thinking about lots of bubbles, floating all around her. Sitting in a bathtub with bubbles from her head to her toes. Her mind suddenly snapped in on itself, realizing that she was far from the task at hand.

“How did he know that was going to happen?”

Shaking her arms and legs she wiggled around the tent, coaching herself. “Okay, clear your mind Kiora, think bubble.”

Taking a deep breath she relaxed, holding herself perfectly still. Closing her eyes she saw the bubble again. It was huge and beautiful. Different colors shimmered on its surface, reds and blues swum across it in a perfect water ballet. In response to the visual imagery something moved inside of her, sliding out to her toes and her fingertips. She kept her eyes screwed shut, forcing herself to focus. The feeling was now leaving her fingertips. Cautiously she cracked one eye to see the bubble like film surrounding her. She followed the reds and blues swimming in front of her nose. A smile spread across her face as she stood too scared to move for fear she would break the bubble.

Slowly looking down to her feet she noticed there was nothing under them, no bubble. The bubble came down and connected to the ground instead. She pointed out a toe, moving it around on the ground. Surely she could walk— it looked like she could at least. She took one cautious step forward, holding her breath. The bubble moved with her.

“YES!” She screamed throwing her arms in the air. The bubble promptly popped.

“Rats.”

***

Emane stood facing Aleric, his back dripping with sweat and his whole body ached. If he didn’t get this soon he wouldn’t be walking tomorrow. Emane normally would have felt foolish facing down a white haired old man, but after the last couple of hours he was beginning to doubt there was any result other than him slamming his backside into the ground.

“Alright, Emane. You will only have a second to react once I lift my hand up. Magic moves as fast as thought,” Aleric reminded him. “You must learn to anticipate what I am doing. Remember, magic moves out from the user in a fan like pattern, it starts smaller here, he tapped his right hand, at the point it leaves the body, fanning out to a larger area as it leaves. The closer you are to the bearer, the easier it is to avoid.”

“I know, I know,” Emane waved him on, “We have gone over this already.”

“Are you ready?”

Emane eyed him warily. “I think so.”

Aleric huffed, “Don’t ‘think so’, Emane, I don’t have time for thinking.” He waved his hand at him as if he were an irritating gnat. “You must be ready, and you must focus.” “Sorry.” Emane snapped with a scowl. “I am ready.”

Looking partially mollified, Aleric said, “Good, then let’s get on with it.”

Aleric and Emane stood facing each other as if they were about to duel. Neither one of them spoke. Aleric watched Emane— Emane watched Aleric’s hands.

Emane focused, watching for any tiny movement.
It’s just like dueling
, he thought trying to calm his nerves,
just anticipate
. His palms were sweating, his heart raced, and then there it was— Aleric’s hands moved upward. Emane dove to the side and rolled, waiting for impact. But none came. He finished his roll and came to his feet grinning.