by E A Foley
Nimbus took her proffered hand but instead of getting up, he pulled Iris down on top of him and kissed her deeply before giving her his answer. “I will spar with you, my love, but only until someone else can do so. I’m not sure how many times I can be beaten by you before I lose confidence in my own abilities.” He grinned and released her.
“I’m sure it will be me who loses confidence,” Iris countered. “You were holding back, I could tell.”
Nimbus grinned ruefully at her. “Another thing Cirrus told me I shouldn’t have ignored: Iris can tell how strong you are and how much effort you’re putting in, so never hold back unless you want to piss her off. So that’s two truths in what he’s told me about you. Guess I should heed his advice when it comes to learning from you,” Nimbus said as he got up and offered Iris his hand.
She took it and stood but gave him a magical poke in the stomach. He grunted at its force. Iris gave him a half-smile before backing away a few paces. She raised her quarterstaff once more. “Ready?”
Nimbus sighed but readied himself for another sparring session. He drew in more power than previously. Iris wasn’t positive as she hadn’t fully assessed his magical abilities, but she thought he was close to bursting. She pulled in enough flows to match his level. She could draw in more if she wanted to, but not much. Nimbus was almost as powerful as her.
As Nimbus stood at the ready—most likely calculating her abilities—Iris advanced on him. She tilted her head down a few degrees, drew her eyebrows together, and let the left corner of her mouth inch up into a grin.
This is going to be fun, she thought as she fired a dozen spear-like blasts at him.
Chapter 5
Nimbus countered the blasts of air easily. He was prepared this time. It increased Iris’s grin. She stepped forward and let her quarterstaff become a blur as she advanced. She increased the intensity of both her physical and magical attacks. Her magic became a never-ending deluge of offensive strikes.
Walls of air. Trip wires. Spearpoint blasts. Even an occasional fireball kept Nimbus on the retreat while her quarterstaff shifted between a combination of thrusts and strikes. Iris concentrated on pushing him back further. Between one magical blow and another, Nimbus switched from defense to offense. He dodged her blow rather than countered it.
A brick of air flew at Iris’s chest. She changed her attack into a small shield. The force of air that flew past her face as the brick exploded on her shield shocked her. Nimbus was using all his strength. Her grin was back. It blossomed into a smile of enjoyment. He was taking this seriously. Was a good opponent. It spurred Iris on even further.
Nimbus doubled his efforts as Iris smiled. She could tell she’d gotten the better of his competitive side. He advanced on her for the first time, forced her to switch to the defensive physically and magically. She still enjoyed herself. For Iris, he was the best sparring partner she’d ever had, and she could finally unleash most of her power without worrying about injuring her counterpart. She held back a little—there was no need to make this an unfair practice. Besides, she wasn’t looking to win, just get better at this style of fighting.
Iris noticed a pattern in Nimbus’s attack. She continued circling to the left as she backed up. His left side became increasingly exposed with each attack. Her body screamed at her to stop. She refused to listen. Needed to see this through. Though if she didn’t end this round soon, she could lose concentration—physical and magical—and cause some serious damage.
Iris took the next available opportunity to counterattack. Nimbus’s left side became less protected once more. She whipped her quarterstaff around. Brought it under his defensive abilities. A loud crack coincided with her staff finding its mark on his ribs. His attacks paused at the force of the blow. Iris filled to bursting with power. Sent a wall of air at him.
Nimbus flew back from the blow. His feet left the ground, and he soared back. He landed ten feet or more from where he started. Hit the ground with an audible thud and expelled a large rush of air from his lungs.
Iris lowered her staff. Her chest heaved as she tried to suck in enough air to appease the burning in her lungs. She released the remaining flows she held. Let her guard down and received a magical slap across her backside.
“Ow!” she yelled in surprise at the slap and its force. She glared at Nimbus where he still lay sprawled on the ground.
When he managed to pull in enough air, Nimbus laughed outright from where he’d landed.
“That was hard,” Iris scolded as she approached him.
“Well, you can’t stop fighting until you’re sure you’ve truly beaten your opponent. You should have been able to counter that easily.” He grinned up at her.
“Touché,” Iris agreed. She plopped down next to Nimbus. They sat for a few moments, chests heaving from exertion before Iris realized something was missing. She looked around and noticed all of her friends stared at her and Nimbus. She wondered when they’d stopped practicing. A glance over her shoulder showed the gathered elves and faeries looking at them as well.
“What?” she asked no one in particular as she refocused on her friends from Earth.
“Oh, you know, nothing really. Just trying not to get in the way or get killed, that’s all,” Kylee replied sarcastically.
Iris’s face reddened in embarrassment. “Sorry. I didn’t realize we were interrupting your practice sessions,” she apologized.
“So, when were you planning to teach us how to do that? Because that was awesome!” Thorin added.
Iris grinned. “It’s on the list for this week. Want to go first, Thorin?” she inquired in her silkiest voice.
“Uh, are you going to teach me or kick my ass? Just so we’re clear, your answer will change my response.”
“I’ll teach you. Don’t worry. Though,” she looked to Nimbus and addressed him. “What about you? Have you done much teaching?”
“A little.”
“Are you any good at it?”
“Ask Cirrus. He’s the only one we’ve both taught and can give you an accurate description.”
“Cirrus, how’s Nimbus at teaching?” Iris called to him. She was still too tired to get up.
“Well,” Cirrus thought for a moment as he moved closer. “He sucks at teaching the basics because he didn’t know them, but he was good at helping me figure out some stuff you taught that didn’t make sense. And he’s almost as good at teaching advanced stuff as you are. He also describes things in a way that makes sense the first time. I think that’s because our thought process is similar. Not sure if that’s because we’re brothers or if it’s a guy thing.”
Iris looked back to Nimbus. “What do you think? You game for helping teach this?”
“Of course. But not until after lunch. I need a break. That was a workout and I’m starving.”
“Me too,” Iris agreed. “A nap wouldn’t hurt either.” She yawned and curled up next to Nimbus on the soft green grass.
Iris let exhaustion wash over her. A hand stroked her hair. It helped lull her into a half-sleep. Her body shut down while her mind remained active. Iris’s subconscious travelled through her inner defenses to the Gallery of Door. Nimbus shifted next to her before hurried footfalls grew in volume and stopped a few feet away. Voices drifted through her still open door to where she sat in the center of the Gallery.
“What’s up?” Aerianna asked as Iris checked the integrity of the barriers she’d placed in front of Jaden’s, Zarina’s, and Morrigan’s doors.
Someone whispered back. It was too quiet for Iris to hear within the deepest recesses of her mind. Someone drew flows of power into their being.
Aerianna’s healing magic moved from Iris’s feet to her head and back. It relieved a few aching muscles along the way. Allowed Iris’s body to relax even further. Almost lulled her mind to sleep. Then Aerianna spoke. Iris concentrated on her voice.
“I can’t find anything physically wrong with her. She’s just exhausted and I can’t blame her. She tried to do
too much too soon. A few really good nights of sleep and a little less exertion is all she needs.”
Iris forced her mind to focus on the voices drifting through her open door.
“I’m sorry—” Nimbus began.
“It’s not your fault,” Cirrus told him.
“But I let her convince me to spar with her.”
“She would have gotten her way no matter what you said. She doesn’t know what it means to take it easy,” Aerianna sounded disgusted at her. “If you’d refused, she would have found someone else to spar with and it would have been the same result. Don’t blame yourself, okay?”
“What should we do?”
“Nothing. Like I said, she just needs to sleep. And some food. She never eats a big breakfast. Do you want me to take her back to your rooms?” Aerianna asked.
“No, I’ll take her,” Nimbus replied.
A soft blue light surrounded Nimbus’s door in the Gallery. It coincided with warmth emanating from his being as he filled with power. Iris could tell he shifted away from her. Flows of air lifted her body before they lowered it into familiar arms that cradled her to a chest. The flows of air remained. They helped support her body. A soft rocking sensation began as Nimbus walked toward Mothar Crann.
“Hold up. I’ll join you,” Cirrus called. “See you in a few.”
Iris wondered briefly who he was talking to. Silence surrounded her for several minutes. She rose to leave the Gallery of Doors and allow her mind some much-needed rest when Cirrus spoke again.
“How are you holding up?”
Curiosity stilled Iris’s movements. She sank back to the floor.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know.” Cirrus paused as though looking for the right words. “How are you doing being in a relationship all of a sudden? How are you taking the knowledge of being a lost prince’s soul? How’s it going with Iris? You know, how are you holding up?”
Nimbus took a few moments to answer. “Well, I guess I’m doing fine. I haven’t really taken it all in yet. And if you’re going to keep calling me a prince, I’ll have you know you’re apparently the spitting image of Tiernan’s grandfather, the king.”
“Really? Huh.”
“Apparently. As far as how I’m doing goes, well . . . I feel like I’ve known Iris my whole life. Lives even,” he amended. “I want nothing more than to protect her and keep her safe and that’s precisely what I won’t be able to do. It scares me. She’s come into my life and left it unexpectedly twice already and both times it was like a part of me was missing. I’m not sure what I’ll do the next time she disappears and what’s worse is I’m positive there will be a next time. It will probably come sooner rather than later and I’ll have to watch as she walks away from me again.” Nimbus sighed. “It makes me feel helpless.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Cirrus said. “Iris was never one to let someone else fight her battles for her or take her place. What I said New Year’s Eve to Jaden was the truth. I’m not sure I will ever have a greater friend than Iris. I wish there was more I could do to help her and protect her. All any of us can really do is train with her and push her to get better. I hate to say it, but you’re going to have to take a lot of that on. You’re the only one who even comes close to her in magical abilities. Hell, I didn’t even know she was as strong as she is until she created the archway here. Then there was this morning.”
“I don’t think she was using all of her power this morning. I got this funny feeling she held back a little to make the fight a fair one.”
“But you were holding back yourself,” Cirrus accused.
“At first, yes. But towards the end, I was using all of my capabilities—physical and magical—and I’m sure she still held back. I’ll need you to help push me so I can increase my abilities if I have any hope of helping her become stronger.”
“We’ll all help. This week will be about getting stronger and coming to grips with the fact that Jaden is a traitor and has somehow taken Zarina and Morrigan along for the ride. Man! What’s with that guy?” Cirrus asked rhetorically. His voice rose in volume and intensity. “I sort of get Zarina. I mean he could always get her to go along with whatever he was doing and change her views to match his, but Morrigan . . . I just don’t get her, you know?”
The turn in the conversation brought a tightness to Iris’s chest. Her body stirred. Nimbus shifted her position in his arms. It relaxed her. Comforted her. She released a sigh and her body settled back into Nimbus’s arms. Once she stopped shifting around, Nimbus answered his brother.
“No, I don’t know. These are your friends. I’m still getting to know them. I know nothing about the dynamics of your group or anyone’s personalities, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Silence descended once more. Hurried footfalls interrupted it. The forward movement stopped.
“I thought she might be hungry when she wakes,” an unfamiliar voice called. Iris thought it might be Esras.
“She truly is remarkable. I have witnessed much in such a short time and am eager to learn as soon as possible. I hope she does not injure herself or push herself too hard.”
It was Esras. His concern for her touched Iris and made her a little embarrassed by her actions so far that morning.
“Thank you for the food and thank you even more for your concerns,” Cirrus responded. “What you saw Iris do today she normally could have done another four or more times. She pushed herself today not because she wanted to, but because I think she needed to feel in control of her life and decisions once more. I doubt she’ll push herself as hard later today or tomorrow. You’ll see, she’ll be fine.”
“I have no doubts she will,” Esras said. There was a brief pause Iris assumed included a bow before the sound of jogging footfalls moved away from her.
Nimbus’s motions changed. They travelled upstairs. Neither brother spoke as they moved through the tree that held their sleeping platforms. Nimbus laid her on something soft before a blanket covered her. She was in her bed. Now that her body could relax fully, her mind tried to call the rest of her consciousness back to it. Iris refused to let it go. There were things Nimbus didn’t know yet. She rose from where she sat on the floor in the Gallery and knocked on Cirrus’s door. He arrived in a flash.
“Hi! How are you feeling?” Cirrus asked. “Wait, I thought you were asleep,” he added before she could respond to the first question.
“My body needs the rest. I was way more fatigued than I thought, but I’m all right. I need you to do me a favor,” she said and waited just long enough for Cirrus to nod. “If you haven’t already done so, I need you to explain the Gallery of Doors to Nimbus. His door hasn’t fully formed, but it’s close and I want him to have the same heads up you all received before I talk to him like this.”
“Sure thing. Anything else?”
“No, just thank you and thank him as well for everything. I’ve been so high maintenance recently. I feel like I’ve become more of a burden to you guys.”
“Seriously, Iris? After you took on Jaden on your own? You are so far from a burden I can’t come up with a good description for what you are. If anything, we’re a burden to you. I mean, you always have to teach us stuff and learn everything first. How could you possibly be a burden?” He smiled at her.
“Thanks, Cirrus,” Iris said and gave him a big hug. “You’re a great friend and you always make me feel better. You should both go back to the training grounds and practice some more. I’ll come back when I’ve rested up.”
“Sounds good and just so you know, I will hold you to that, all right?” He grinned and waved his farewell before closing his door and letting his mind rejoin his conscious self.
Iris stayed in the Gallery long enough to hear the brothers talking as they exited her room.
“Um, what just happened?” Nimbus asked Cirrus.
Iris chuckled to herself. It seemed Cirrus still wasn’t able to split his mind when he came to the Gallery. She added the skil
l to her mental list of things to teach that week.
“Come on, I’ll explain on the way,” Cirrus said.
A door closed. Iris joined the two halves of her mind and allowed sleep to overtake her.
Chapter 6
Iris woke a few hours later refreshed and restored. She could sense tumultuous amounts of power being used nearby. As she ate the plate of food Esras made her, she tried to determine what tasks her friends performed. Complex healing magic that was distinctly Kylee’s preceded a weaker version of the same request. It seemed Rozlynd was learning how to heal. Voices filled the Gallery of Doors.
“If I’m in here, I have no clue what Thorin is saying to my physical self,” Cirrus said in a dejected whisper.
“Me neither. Nothing to do but keep trying. Maybe we need to send less of our conscious mind here,” Gavin responded.
“Neither of you can hear me physically, can you?” Thorin asked as he joined the other two.
“Nope,” they both replied.
Iris was glad they were practicing splitting their minds and hoped the rest of her friends would take the time to practice the skill too. Not wanting to disturb them, Iris stayed out of the Gallery for the time being. She hoped Cirrus had explained the Gallery of Doors to Nimbus already.
Aerianna opened a doorway nearby followed by Violet. Iris wondered why as both were proficient at the task. A few seconds later, she sensed them trying to open doorways once more. The process was exceedingly slow. She’d have to ask them what they were working on when she saw them.
Rowen pulled her attention to him as he threw a fireball. It was followed by a shield Nimbus produced and a buck-shot blast of air. Rowen made a half-demand, half-request for the bullets to change course back at Nimbus. They complied and Nimbus threw up another shield to block them.