“Those are a great tradition,” Alex smiled. “And the special bread baked in shapes of little bones! You have to taste it!”
“See? That’s weird.”
“Guys, sorry for interrupting you cultural debate, but I think I found something interesting,” Gaby said. She pointed to another set of pictograms in another nearby stone slab.
“These ones here seem to be the story behind the creation of our swords.” Gaby pointed to three lines of engravings, each one with icons narrating a story.
“It seems so. I know they are called collectively the Tempest Blades. My grandfather talked about them a lot. They were created by the Akeleth through a mix of science and magick to tame the spirit of the Tempest. Here is Yaha. It was the first one created in the Dawn Age.”
The icons depicted a man in front of a tree, facing a demon. Behind the man was a woman being pierced by a branch from a humongous tree covered in crystals. “According to the legend, Yaha was created to protect the Tree of Life from the First Demon by fusing the soul of a volunteer into a crystal. The crystal soul was then forged into a sword for the woman’s husband. Even now I wonder how it ended up in Ywain’s hands. He already had it by the time I met him,” Fionn explained.
“Here is Black Fang, my sword. I know this story well, it is a tradition from Skarabear, the town where I grew up. Black Fang was the last Montoc Dragon, which died fighting the Bestial, the thing that Byron wants to bring back. The dragon’s soul was transferred into his massive fang, which was later used to forge my sword,” Fionn explained with pride. He then pointed at a damaged bit of the slab. There was a reference to something called Agni’s Rage and Icestorm, but the writing was too damaged to be read and the names didn’t ring a bell to Fionn. Finally, a pair of twin blades was depicted there, with their names engraved, but not an explanation of their origin. Fionn recognized them.
“And here are Gaby’s blades, Soulkeeper and Heartguard,” Fionn pointed at the image of the twin blades. “I think those are fitting names, considering who their owner is.” Fionn smiled at her.
“Aww c’mon, does that pickup line really work?” Alex exclaimed with mirth in his voice.
“Shut up, Alex!” Gaby replied, raising her voice slightly. “I find it curious that mine are part of the damaged stories.” Gaby eyed Alex, her gaze conveying the unspoken message for Alex to shut up or risk a serious beating. Alex took notice of that and stepped back.
“I guess the ability of all the Blades to destroy creatures from the Pit comes from having a soul inside them,” Fionn concluded.
“I find that a bit extreme,” Alex said. “These weapons and the Gift work only when someone dies. I’ve heard that the Tempest is hard to control, but this is extreme.”
“How can you protect life if you can’t appreciate having it?” Gaby scolded him. “Regardless, we have food and water.” Gaby pointed at the fruit trees and the fountain in the middle of the garden, which spouted clear water. “What time is it anyway? We shouldn’t be wasting time.”
“Judging by my watch, I don’t think it will be a concern,” Alex explained, giving a look at his wristwatch and then to the sky, and then looking at the shadows projected by the columns.
“What do you mean?” Gaby asked.
“How long do you reckon we have been here so far?” Alex asked back, his eyes rolling up as if he was making calculations in his head.
“An hour, maybe two,” Fionn replied.
“My watch says less than two minutes. And some of the objects there must be thousands of years old and yet look brand new. There is no way those parchments could be still intact being that old and in contact with the air,” Alex explained.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Gaby said, standing up.
“This place is magickal,” Fionn interjected. “And I’m not talking about the décor. We are in the open and yet the environment feels warm enough to be comfortable.”
“Then this place runs on Lucasian time,” Alex stated smugly.
“On what?” Fionn asked.
“Lucasian time is a scientific term for relative times differing from the speed of the time arrow moving forward…” Alex started to ramble.
“Layman terms, please, Alex,” Gaby stopped him.
“This place runs on its own time, independent of the time outside. An hour here must be roughly equivalent to a minute or less out there. If I have to guess, a day here must be more or less an hour outside,” Alex explained as concisely as he could. “The Maze experiences it, too. But here it seems to not be a random event.”
“Mekiri was right,” Gabby said. “Ravenhall provides. Even if that means messing with the flow of time.”
“That’s convenient,” Fionn said sarcastically. “And unnervingly familiar,” he added.
“It is when you have to take a crash course in combat. But it would explain all those stories about heroes training enough to become good while the bad guys were barely doing anything,” Gaby said.
“Also it explains a lot of plot holes in movies,” Alex added with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Enough, let’s figure out what the test is about,” Fionn said with a serious, almost angry tone that surprised Alex and Gaby. They exchanged quizzical looks. He wasn’t in the mood to teach anyone and it showed.
† † †
“Again!”
A loud thud could be heard echoing in the halls of the library, followed by another and another.
“No, no, no, do it again!!” Fionn yelled once more.
The training wasn’t going as Fionn had expected. In fact, each attempt to teach Gaby or Alex was worse than the previous one. It wasn’t the tired arms or the basic technique. Gaby had great combat technique and instincts, but wasn’t moving at the needed speed; her moves were full of doubt as if she was afraid of relapsing into the Ice State. Alex was a capable fighter, albeit not as polished as Gaby. He was raw, more power than technique, a stark contrast to Ywain who had been all lightning speed, literally. The more Fionn pushed, the more frustration was starting to mix with anger and tiredness.
Fionn sighed constantly, worried that they wouldn’t be ready in time. They weren’t even close to learning the right fighting technique, even less to actually landing a hit on him, and he was barely using the Gift. Teaching Ywain how to fight had been easy, the kid had been always eager to learn. Izia had proven a challenge, but she always listened. But for some reason, he wasn’t getting through to Alex and to a lesser extent, Gaby. His master Hikaru would be disappointed in him for failing miserably. He could hear her voice in his head, telling him the long list of things he was doing wrong, starting with his lack of patience.
“You are doing it all wrong. How the hell did you survive an incursion when you hold a sword like a baby?” Fionn exploded out of the blue at Alex. Everybody fell silent. Gaby shook her head and looked at Fionn disapprovingly. Alex threw Yaha away. It landed upright, the blade stuck in the floor. The sword did cut through anything. Alex walked towards Fionn until they were mere centimeters from each other, his left hand close to the holster where he had his collapsible bow.
“Excuse me? I had to learn how to hold a sword from a journal. But I’m much better with the bow. Wanna find out how much, old man?” Alex told Fionn, seething, despite having to look up at Fionn, who was at least a head and half taller. He wasn’t intimidated.
“You can try. You won’t get far before I beat some sense into you,” Fionn told him, his voice low and quiet, hiding his fury behind it. He hadn’t expected that reply from Alex, but then again he had documented anger management problems. And that was problematic in itself. Byron was temperamental like that and it didn’t end well for anyone.
“Guys, calm down, this is not productive. And frankly, it is annoying as hell.” Gaby walked right into the middle of them, pushing them both away with her arms.
“You should know bette
r than him what I’m trying to teach you. You have actual combat training.” Fionn looked at Gaby with disappointment in his eyes.
“True, but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with your methods.” Gaby faced him this time. Gaby was angry, and even Alex noticed it because he backed away.
“You know what? I used to admire you, but now I think you’re just an asshole. I’m out of here. At least the books won’t insult me,” Alex said while unsticking Yaha from the floor and gathering his stuff. “I can’t believe I’m stuck here with you. For a living legend you leave a lot to be desired.”
“Hide behind the books, because otherwise, you will be dead meat,” Fionn said, trying to move forward, but Gaby pushed him back.
“Sit on a sword you b’ax!” Alex yelled as he walked away, giving Fionn the finger. Electric sparks ran through Alex’s arms, he was trying hard to not explode. Gaby slapped Fionn in the face so hard that his cheek sported a red outline of her hand. Fionn caressed his cheek and started to calm down.
“I… I… Gaby, I’m sorry for what I said,” Fionn told her, regretful, coming back to his senses.
“Let me talk with him and fix this. But he is not wrong, you are being a lousy teacher right now,” Gaby replied, walking away, following Alex into the library halls.
Fionn stood there alone, watching the sky. If training them was the test, then he was failing miserably.
“What do you want from me?” Fionn yelled in frustration.
† † †
Fionn was standing alone on one of the balconies overlooking the garden. The sky above the library was overcast, gray as if a winter storm was coming towards it. No stars could be seen. The feeling of impotence and tension, of the pressure of things to do but not enough time to do them, was growing inside him. There was no way that they would be ready for what was going to come. And he didn’t have the patience to teach them. That had been his failing before, and it was now that he realized it. He skipped important parts with Ywain and Izia, even with Byron. A good fighter knew how to attack. A great fighter knew when to do it and when it was better to be patient. More importantly, a great fighter would know how to focus the emotions storming inside into tranquil fury. And controlling the Gift to the level they needed required that.
The memories of his time with Izia and Ywain flowed through his mind.
Back then, Izia compensated her lack of power with resourcefulness. She was as clever as a fox. How many times did she trick someone to get her way? And Ywain, he just plowed through things like a hurricane. How many times did we end with bruises and cuts during our sparring sessions? The thing is, Byron had years of experience. And they were too eager to fight. Byron knew how to fight titanfighters unarmed, how to hunt down monsters. And he also had years to watch us, to study us. How long was he planning to betray us? Of course none of us were gonna be a challenge for him. We were too impatient and he wasn’t.
Fionn stood upright, his eyes opening wide in realization. Hikaru always hit him in the head when he got too impatient. He rubbed his head.
“You always leave open your defense,” she used to say during their training breaks. “Because you are too hasty to attack. You need to be patient and clear your mind.”
“So that’s the lesson, huh? To help them control their Gift, I need to teach them the only thing I have never mastered myself. I bet you find this hilarious,” Fionn said to the sky.
While he admitted that Alex and Gaby were decent fighters in their own right, every time he tried to calm himself by thinking that this could actually work, self-doubt appeared in his head. How could he teach them patience and calm when he himself was unable to be patient and calm? Fionn punched the wall with enough force to break his own bones, out of frustration.
“Are you ok? That wall seems like a mean foe,” Gaby said behind Fionn. She was coming up the last few steps of the stairs, her leather jacket zipped up, which hugged her body tightly, showing her contours. Fionn admired the image, a welcome gift for sore eyes.
“I’m just thinking. Where is Alex?” Fionn asked while Gaby closed the gap between them, standing on his left, admiring the view from the balcony of the garden and the expansive building that was Ravenhall.
“Letting off some steam in that old arcade he found. Oddest thing I’ve seen here, which is already odd enough, considering the giant slab and the fruit trees,” Gaby replied. She was resting on the balcony, taking in the overwhelming experience of being in such a magickal place. She breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with the moist, cold air, closing her eyes for a second and smiling. They stood there silently for a few minutes. Fionn watched her face.
“He is not taking the training well. I don’t think I’m doing this right. My master would be ashamed of me,” Fionn said out of the blue, his voice oddly subdued for someone like him, as he hung his head in shame.
“He doesn’t like being put down. To be fair, I resent that too,” Gaby replied, opening her eyes and facing Fionn with a sympathetic smile. “You need to understand something. Like you, we have baggage and sometimes it is hard to leave it behind. Take Alex for example. His family always puts him down or downright ignores him because he doesn’t follow their rules. Why do you think he chose to live on another continent? Me? My father dumped me in an assassins’ school the minute my mother was dead and buried, and it took me a lot not only to get away, but to recover.” Gaby paused, the memories flooding her. She blinked a few times, trying to contain the budding tears in her eyes. With a wider smile, she continued. “Even Sid has issues. I bet Harland does too. And Sam. All of us have issues; the trick is learning to live with them.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to come across as an ass. It’s just…” Fionn replied with remorse showing on his face.
“I get it; you are worried that we are risking ourselves without being fully prepared. I know this fight has become personal for you. But you are not alone in this. You have to trust us,” Gaby said emphatically, patting Fionn on the arm. “We are a team.”
“I’m trying but it’s not easy. I just keep replaying what happened last time. I wasn’t alone either and it wasn’t enough. And they were battle-hardened warriors,” Fionn said, his hands moving to emphasize his words.
“And we are not,” Gaby said, nodding her head. “We are just civilians.”
“I don’t want people dying again because I’m not good enough. I made a mistake before with Byron. And I haven’t ever been able to beat him,” Fionn said, looking dejected. “I taught him how to focus his powers, without suspecting what he would use them for later. As a warrior? He has always been better than me.”
“Third time is the charm,” Gaby smiled, taking his chin, lifting his face. “Look, for better or worse we are already in this, and none of us is going to back down. We might not have the experience, but we are not helpless children either. We survived an incursion and Alex barely had training back then. We can do this if you teach us how. Not just yell at us. You are a hero, to him, to me, to many. Show us why.”
“You make too much sense for someone so young. Who is teaching whom?” Fionn smiled. Gaby’s words eased the constant self-doubt that had been plaguing him for years.
“No offense, but making sense is not a trait of men,” Gaby laughed. “Maybe that’s your test here, learning to trust again. Do that and the teaching will come easy, I think. You just need to clear your head, relax and move forward.”
“I have tried but I can’t seem able to do that lately,” Fionn said apologetically.
“When I have to clear my head, I dance. Would you dance with me?” Gaby smiled at him, offering her right hand and doing a curtsey.
“Here? There is no music,” Fionn smiled once more.
“I can sing something,” Gaby offered.
Fionn reluctantly took her hand, and she started to sing a folk song about time, love and belief. They danced as snowflakes started to fall, h
er sweet, soft singing guiding their steps. It was barely audible, only for Fionn to hear. It made all the anger and frustration inside him slowly evaporate, clearing his mind. Both got closer with each step. After a few minutes, Gaby finished her song and looked at Fionn. He was more relaxed now, still humming the song with a smile. He was feeling lighter.
“You really have a beautiful voice. Even the sky reacted to it by snowing,” Fionn told her, looking at the falling snowflakes. The air was comfortable despite the snow, the powers of the Ravenhall in action.
“Alex is right about one thing, your pickup lines are awful.” Gaby laughed sweetly and contagiously.
“You can’t blame me, I’m a widower and have been iced for the better part of a century. I’m rusty,” Fionn shrugged his shoulders as a sign of apology.
“I hope you are not rusty with everything, senior citizen,” Gaby replied, getting closer to Fionn’s face. While a tall woman, Gaby was still shorter than Fionn by almost a head, which meant she was now on the tip of her toes to reach him, even with her heeled boots. Fionn embraced her tightly, lifting her slightly until their lips were close to touching. And then, they were interrupted by a scream that echoed through the halls of the library.
“Eureka!” Alex yelled from a distance. Fionn and Gaby broke their embrace, both looking coyly at each other, their faces blushing slightly.
“We’d better check on him. I worry about his mental state.” Fionn smiled, his left hand messing with the back of his head.
“I would worry about his physical state if that yell was for nothing,” Gaby added with a hint of anger in her voice. Both sprinted towards the inner halls of the Ravenhall, their hands still locked. They arrived a few minutes later to the room where Alex was jumping in delight in front of the arcade cabinet.
“What happened?” Fionn asked, letting go of Gaby’s hand and instinctively looking for his sword until he realized that he had left it on the balcony.
“I just managed to beat this boss,” Alex replied with a huge grin on his face, almost looking like a small child.
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