by S D Huss
He closed his eyes and attempted to do the same. The pulse was there, stronger now, but still elusive.
“Focus this power into your hands, and identify your target...” Avria paused for a moment, letting the students open their eyes and establish where they would unleash their fury. “Attack!” She shouted.
Cracks and explosions erupted around Daniel. He opened his eyes to see an amazing sight of all types of elemental destruction unleashed on the sturdy stone slabs. Fire and electricity scorched them, water and air cut them, and stones smashed against them. There were waves of power that were almost visible to him as the loose sand was sprayed in every direction.
Delmos put a sympathetic hand on Daniel’s shoulder. The Dae was going to say something to Daniel and offer him words of encouragement but stopped as he saw his sister approaching them.
Avria stopped before Daniel and eyed him contemptuously. “Still unable to use it?” She asked him mockingly. She glanced over to Katrina, who stood a short distance away. “Katrina, show this fool how you figured it out. I’m not sure he has the same mental capacity as you do, but do your best.”
Avria then looked to her brother. “By the spirits, you just can’t keep yourself out of trouble.”
Delmos looked at her in confusion. “What do you mean, sister?”
“You were supposed to stay away from this creature. I thought you had more sense than to associate with him. People are already talking about it in court, and it isn’t favorable, believe me.”
Delmos scoffed. “Please, this is ridiculous. I don’t care what those fools say about me anymore. I have already been disgraced beyond repair, and Daniel happens to be a fellow outcast. We have become good friends!” He smiled at his sister and clasped Daniel’s shoulder. “We’re inseparable!”
Daniel couldn’t help but smile at the words spoken by the younger Regios noble. He had proven to be a good friend over the last several weeks and had earned what few people had in this new and dangerous world. He had earned Daniel’s trust.
Avria let out a sigh and abruptly turned toward the instructor who was still waiting to proceed with the period of instruction.
Daniel then looked at Katrina, who hadn’t said anything at this point. She was well trained now, it seemed.
“So…” He said, not quite sure what to say to her. “I see that you’ve grown a lot since we last saw each other.” He gestured to the stone slabs that were now being assaulted by the rest of the cadets.
“Lady Avria is a skilled master. She has been treating me well.” Katrina said, her voice sounding a bit harsher than he remembered. “I can show you how to use your Dunamis. It took me a couple of weeks to get it down, but Lady Avria told me that every element is very different.” She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his chest, closing her eyes. -What the hell is she doing?- He thought to himself.
She was silent for several moments as she pondered. “I can sense it here.” She said finally. “It is steady but tense.” She opened her eyes stepped to his right side, facing the stone slabs. “I'll walk you through it. Just relax, and focus your mind.”
Daniel let out a frustrated breath and closed his eyes.
“It isn’t about forcing your control on the element. It is about coaxing and convincing it, using a subtle touch. Can you feel it?” She said softly, attempting to calm him.
Daniel felt it there, a heart of fire raging beyond an invisible wall. Her voice became muffled as his mind cleared.
“For fire, you must calm yourself. Emotions are a large driving force for the Dunamis, but fire is particularly susceptible. Now… look at the power within.”
He now felt almost as he did in the shrine. A trance-like state that brought clarity and inner focus. -I’ve been here before… now what?- He thought to himself. -How do I get this damn thing out?-
“You can see it now, right?” Katrina said. “Now… don’t try to force it out. Draw your power from outside your body.”
“What?” Daniel said.
“Everything in this world is spiritual energy. When you use the Dunamis, it pulls from the energy around you and filters it through what you are seeing inside yourself. That is the source of your power, but it is an engine. It needs fuel to function.”
Daniel changed the direction of his focus outward instead of inward. As he did, he felt an overwhelming sense of power. Gentle, but almost infinite. It felt as though he was on a raft in the middle of an ocean of unfathomable depth and size. He began to call to it, bidding it come to him, but nothing happened. This he tried several more times to no avail. -Every power is different- he thought, -but not just every power… every person as well perhaps-
He steeled his resolve and grabbed the power around him with his will, commanding it to come to him, and this time it obeyed. He was hit with a burst of energy, his senses flared like he had been covered in ice.
His eyes opened, and he gasped, then a slow smile crept across his face. He could feel it now, like never before, completely in control and eager to use it.
“I’ve got it.” He said, looking to the stone slab in front of him. It was still unmarked.
“Good” Katrina said excitedly. “Now for the moment of truth. Focus your energy, not into your hand, but through it. It must be used to direct your power for this attack.” She paused for a moment giving the anticipation it's due. “You may fire when ready.”
Daniel released a blast of fire from his hands. The force and heat of the discharge brought a wave of sand from around him into the surrounding cadets, pushing them back. It slammed into the stone, which melted away in seconds. Daniel froze at the display of power he had created. His fire did not look normal either, it was a deep crimson, and burned its angry blood color for all to see.
“By the spirits…” Delmos said, his mouth open in awe. “Very impressive, my friend.”
Katrina patted Daniel on the back, but he didn’t move. He still stared at the damage he had caused.
“That was unbelievable…” She said, slowly.
Raised voices of amazement and encouragement came from the surrounding cadets. They all crowded around Daniel, talking excitedly.
Avria strode past the group of Dae and looked at the stone slab, her eyes dark. She turned and looked to Daniel, who, to her surprise, seemed to be ignoring everyone else, and met her eyes. She paused for a moment, then shouted, bringing silence to the clamoring.
“Instructor Yuka, please take the cadets outside for exercises on the importance of maintaining one's discipline…” She gave the instructor a hard look. “They all seem to lack this quality.”
The instructor began to shout for the cadets to get in formation and directed them to go outside. Most did as they were told without argument, but some let out hushed curses and grumbles at their coming punishment.
“Once you’re finished, bring them back in here to continue.” She pointed her gaze at Daniel who was on his way to the budding formation. “You stay.”
He froze where he was. Only glancing to see Delmos, who had frozen beside him.
“Not you.” She said to her brother. “Go outside with the others.”
Delmos reluctantly began moving again, falling in with the formation and out the large doors.
Daniel now stood in the massive arena, with Avria and Katrina before him.
Katrina twitched nervously, trying her best to keep her eyes straight ahead.
“What are you playing at?” Avria asked him, her eyes blazing with rage.
She looked to Katrina as well. “Both of you better tell me what, in the name of the great spirits, you are up to. I don’t care what the Hego says, I will slaughter you both here and now if I don’t get the truth.”
Katrina turned to her, shocked and clearly afraid. Avria gave her a cold look in return.
“Listen.” Daniel finally said. “We’ve told you what we know, and have been over this again and again. We don’t know how we got here, only that there was a flash of light, and we woke up in the spirit forest.” Daniel
started to think about the possible outcomes if she were to attack him. How would he fare? She seemed a much more capable warrior than any he had faced of the Dae so far. Still, his mind raced with the threat she announced.
“Lady Avria,” Katrina said, standing up straight, and with as much courage as she could muster. “You know where my loyalties are. I am very grateful for all you and your people have done for us. We all are.” She gestured to Daniel. “You were there when I discovered my Dunamis, you saw how powerful it was. How is it any different from Daniel’s? He only did the same thing as me.”
Avria’s look softened a bit as her squire spoke. Daniel noticed it, a very subtle change, but it spoke volumes of the Dae.
“It isn’t necessarily the power,” Avria said with a deep sigh. “It is the color of it.” She pointed to the charred and melted stone. “There are only a few creatures in our written history who have summoned crimson flame with their Dunamis. And every single one of them was said to be terrible monsters.”
“The color?” Daniel asked tensely, but still genuinely curious.
Avria paused for a moment, taking the time to calm herself and prepare to speak clearly.
“Yes… fire is a strange element, as it does not have any real variants to it like the others. Dae-Voh are able to manipulate different forms of the element, like vegetation, or sand instead of stone or metal. Dae-Leu are able to manipulate the temperature of the element usually, some are better than others at it of course. Look, it is very complicated to explain now, but the point is…” She took a breath. “Dae-Rah are able to augment their bodies to produce different colors of fire to accomplish different levels of strength. The common orange that you see is obviously what most are able to produce. We have seen white fire, blue fire, and green fire. These are not difficult to find, there are plenty of strong Dae-Rah in Pelemont. However, the stories of our history mention black and crimson as well, but only alongside some incredible evil.”
Avria paused again after she finished, realizing how ridiculous it all must have sounded. She turned toward Katrina. “Don’t find any discouragement from this, my squire. I have vouched for you before my father and the court.” A tinge of guilt crossed her face. “I am sorry for threatening to kill you.”
Katrina smiled at the words, relief flushing her face.
Daniel let out a tense breath and gave an uneasy grin. “What about me? You threatened us both.” He said.
Avria gave him a stern look, but her mouth betrayed a ghost of a smile.
“Forget it.” He raised his hands defensively.
chapter 20
Robert’s eyes opened into a squint as invasive sunlight shined into them. -Huh?- he thought to himself, trying to get out of his bedroll. -What time is it?-
“Good morning, spirit sent,” Veol said, walking by his small sleeping area.
“Morning, Veol.” Robert rubbed the sleep from his eyes and attempted to tend to the terrible case of bed head he now had. “Where is Amynta?” He asked, looking to her vacant spot several feet away from his own. Her bedroll and gear were neatly organized and folded.
“She decided to take a morning stroll. I think she went over to the river.” His hand extended to point south of their current position. “I warn you though, spirit sent, she has not had her breakfast is likely to be quite cranky.”
Robert smiled and started to get dressed; in the middle of sliding his boots on, he took a moment to breathe in the air. It was a crisp and beautiful morning. There were many just like it since they arrived at the Spirit Forest. After their initial encounter with Miza, the elder spirit, Amynta, and Robert were given special access from Mioh to enter and meet with her as they pleased. That they did for the several weeks they had been here. She did not speak much but was very interested in listening to all that Robert had to say. He told her how they arrived, and that they had no idea how to get back. However, unlike the other spirits, he had come into contact with since their arrival, Miza seemed much more casual about their sudden appearance in Pelemont. Robert often wondered what the ancient and wise spirit actually knew about it.
He stood with a stretch and began walking through the makeshift camp they had made into their home for the expedition. There were eight Dae warriors who were their escort, including Veol, a powerful noble, who was the officer in charge of their protection. They had treated Robert with a surprising level of respect and gave him nods as he passed by.
Robert found his way over a small hill that flanked their camp. On the other side of it was a river that glistened in the morning light, and ran straight into the forest. Robert saw Amynta sitting on a small stool at the bank, writing in one of her scrolls.
“Well, you were up early.” He said, startling her as he approached.
She yelped, nearly dropping her scroll on the ground. “By the spirits Robert! You can’t sneak up on people like that! What is wrong with you?”
Robert chuckled as he found a seat in the dirt beside her. “Veol said you would be cranky this morning. I thought nothing got in between you and your breakfast.”
“I didn’t have time this morning, I am on the verge of something magnificent!” She pointed excitedly at her scroll.
Robert casually eyed the parchment, it was a jumbled mess of unintelligible scribbles. It seemed that the spiritual power that enabled all Dae to understand their speech did not extend to the written word.
“I can’t read your writing, Amynta…” He said.
Amynta let out a sigh, and gently rolled up her scroll and placed it in a pack at her feet. “Basically, it goes over the hierarchy of the spirits. They have a structure like we never dreamed of. Elder spirits, lesser spirits, and many more we don’t quite know of yet. There are so many questions I have… Things I want to understand better… Not to mention the strange connection your kind have with them. How could an elder spirit, that is thousands of years old, look into your eyes and tell you that you are ancient?” She stood, smoothing her cloak. “Are you ancient?” She asked playfully, but with a hint of seriousness.
Robert laughed. “Eh… I’m not. Don’t worry.”
She smiled and leaned down to pick up her pack. “You know, I have grown quite fond of you humans. I am sure we will find a way home for you.”
“I hope so.” He said, “Not that I don’t think your world isn’t amazing, but at the end of the day. I would like to lay my head down in my own bed.” He sighed, “Seems a tall order from where I’m standing now.”
Amynta smiled apologetically, and opened her mouth to speak, but froze as she looked behind him. Her eyes widened as some unseen realization flashed across her face.
“Amynta?” Robert asked, “What's wrong?”
Robert turned to see dozens of riders coming over the crest of a hill across the river. Grey capes billowed atop the Cro’kan he had come to know as the common mount for warriors.
“Who the hell?” He said, fear beginning to fill his heart.
“We have to run!” Amynta shouted, grabbing Robert’s hand and forcing him up the hill.
“Rexunii raiding party!” She screamed as loud as she could. “Veol!”
Robert could hear the thumping of the Cro’kan talons tearing the ground as they dashed behind him. His heart sank as he could hear them getting closer and closer.
As the two came over the hill and saw the camp, Robert could see the eight warriors from Vul De Rah were just finishing their formation. It looked like a V with the single point facing the enemy charge.
“Get behind us!” Veol shouted holding his spear in a defensive posture.
Robert couldn’t tell which one he was. The warriors had all donned their pale white helmets. Regardless, they both slid past the formation and skidded to a halt behind them.
“There are too many of them, Veol! We have to get out of here!”
Before they were able to react in any way, the Rexunii warriors came streaming down the hill.
There was one in the center of their charge that raised a sword a
nd let out a howl. The others echoed the strange shout, and the sound sent shivers down Robert’s spine. Suddenly there was a blast of energy from the front of the Lokkadonian formation, a cyclone of wind tore at the ground and forced the Rexunii warriors to break formation and dodge.
As they got close enough, they leaped from their mounts and came down on the formation with violence and precision. Crackles of the Dunamis began to roar from the battle, and soon the formation was engulfed in the grey-clad Rexunii warriors.
Robert’s eyes squinted at the flashes of elemental bursts. Earth tore from the ground, launching spikes at warriors who dodged nimbly, escaping death. Electricity screamed past him, slamming into walls of stone or being swept away with wind and redirected into the ground. Robert held on to Amynta whose scream was drowned out by the melee. Holding her hands over her ears, he could see tears streaming from her face as the fear turned her into a shivering child.