by A R Maloney
I was confused, not sure whether it was the alcohol or the conversation that seemed out of place. “I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, Ian. You know my mom?” I stared blankly across the field. Cooper emerged from the door behind us holding a cup in his hands and I waved.
Ian stood, “Yes, I knew them both for many years. When you are ready, when you want to understand the dreams, come to me. Riven will show you the way.” He clasped Cooper's forearm and nodded to him saying. “Have a good evening, warrior. Take care of our girl.” With that he left.
Cooper handed me the tea and sat beside me again. “Does the old man have his wits about him?” I asked.
Cooper raised his eyebrows and explained, “Ian is quite often misunderstood. Such is the fate of those who can see what others cannot.”
“Ian said he knows my parents. I don’t even know my father.” I thought for certain he must be mistaken.
Together we sat on the quiet patio, my thoughts on the old man and his strange statements. How did he know my parents, what dreams had he been speaking of, and what did Cooper mean when he’d said, ‘he was seeing’?
Suddenly, I began feeling tired. My head was no longer spinning, but I wanted nothing more than to sleep. I covered a yawn with a hand and smiled apologetically to Cooper. “I’m sorry, I really need to sleep.”
“I'll help you to your quarters for the evening, if you don’t object.” Cooper offered, standing and reaching a hand to help me up.
I grasped his hand to steady myself while I stood. The earth began moving slightly around me again. I wobbled a little and held his hand tighter as I steadied myself. Maybe I wasn’t as sober as I’d thought. I nodded when he asked if I would be okay. We began walking across the grounds to the guest quarters. His hand felt nice in mine and I enjoyed the little flutters in my stomach when his thumb began running across the top of mine.
We reached my door too quickly. He turned to me, holding my forearms lightly. “Get some good sleep tonight, Skye. Niera will wake you in the morning and take you to the practice fields where Riven will be waiting.” Cooper smiled, holding our grasp longer than any normal greeting or farewell. The breeze blew over us lightly filling my nose with his scent; he smelled of sage and cedar. My heart skipped a beat and I inhaled deeply, my eyes holding his deep gaze. He had a crooked, boyish smile, “Your eyes…I haven’t seen anything like them.”
I blushed and tried to look away but felt his hand cup my chin, pulling my gaze back to his. “I was born like this. One green, the other a bit darker than rosewood. They change at times, at least that’s what I’ve been told…I can’t really see them much myself.” I was spilling words again, something I did when nervous.
Cooper gave my arms a gentle squeeze and smiled. “I like them.” In the darkness I believe I saw him blush. He ran his hands down my arms to my hands, grasping them firmly and stepping away. Goosebumps rose up on my arms where his hands had been. “I need to go, and you need to sleep now,” he said, his smile turning to a hard line. I released a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.
“Goodnight Cooper, and thank you,” I said, wishing we had more time. “Will I see you again?”
“Very soon.” he nodded.
I opened my door and smiled back at him before entering my room. The door shut behind me and I climbed straight onto the bed, collapsing, not even bothering to pull the blanket over me. Within moments I was swept away by the dark of sleep.
White wings surrounded me. In the distance I could hear the sounds of the battle raging. Swords rang out against heavy armor and shields. Arrows flew past me, through the air. Occasionally the ground or sky would blaze, alight with bright reds and oranges as fireballs hit their marks. I could hear the injured calling out in pain around me, followed by the healing words of clerics and chantress. Closer we drew to the battle. Rallying cries filled the air surrounding me. “Yeah! Skye is here! We will win for sure! Skye! Praise the gods! We cannot be defeated now!” I soared through the air. “Skye!” My snowy wings pounded loudly, driving me furiously through the dark skies. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
The pounding got louder now. “Skye! Skye! Wake up! We need to get to the practice field and trust me, you don't want to be late today!”
I opened my eyes, shaking the sleep from my head. A dull pain hit my temples and I rubbed at my forehead. Agh. My mouth tasted stale and my tongue was thick and dry. I responded with a groan. I drank from my flask, emptying it in record time before cleaning myself up quickly…making myself presentable. What time is it? I stumbled across the room and opened my door to see Niera. “Is it morning already?” I asked, squinting my eyes, trying to adjust to the predawn haze.
Niera sighed at me saying, “Come on drunkie! Let's get moving! Riven is an early riser.”
“Great.” I murmured, wanting to stop the pounding in my head. “Ugh...I'll never do that again!”
Niera giggled at that, “Never say never! Besides, you looked like you were having a great time! I've known Cooper for many years now. We grew up together, both of us in the same orphanage. Never have I seen him like he is around you.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.
The mention of his name brought forth a silly smile. “He's alright,” I said, not willing to say anything more yet.
We were nearing the practice fields. I could already see several others sparring with a variety of weapons. Rangers were aiming at a variety of targets, both stationary and moving. The sounds of spells being cast could be heard as bolts of flame and ice crossed long distances towards their marks. Metal swords and battleaxes rang out loudly as others practiced drills in pairs and small groups. I spied Riven waiting patiently at the last field, the breeze blowing at his blue robes.
“Good morning!” he called out with a wave of his hand. “Did you rest well?”
Niera responded to this, “Apparently our young magus doesn't hold the drink so well.”
Riven looked hard at me shaking his head and clicking his tongue, scolding me. “Rough morning?” he asked.
I nodded, my head still pounding between my ears, “Yes, I'd never drank anything like that before. How is it so well liked?” I tried not to squint, but the sun was so bright coming up over the horizon, and my eyes were still protesting against the light. I held my lips together tightly as my stomach rolled around angrily in my chest.
Riven looked to Niera and said, “You may help her this one time, if she wishes.”
Niera then asked me, “Have you had enough of the hangover, drunkie?”
My response was a squinty-eyed, silent nod.
As Niera began singing a quiet melody, not much more than a whisper, a soft white glow filled her hands. When the incantation was finished the small white light flew from her palms and exploded around me.
Immediately, I felt relief. Amazing, I thought to myself. My lips curved up into a smile.
“Better?”
“Much better, thank you.” I sighed in relief.
Riven turned his attention back to me, his voice unyielding, “It is your responsibility to take care of your body, by yourself, to the best of your ability. Healers should save their energy for the truly injured,” he continued his admonishment, “but, as this is your first day, and your first experience with the drink, I have allowed Niera to remove the pain. Next time you need to be more responsible, because if you come to practice like this again, you will find yourself with much more discomfort than a mere hangover.” He followed his scolding with a stern look of displeasure.
I nodded glumly, embarrassed to be scolded by someone who appeared to be not much older than myself. “It won't happen again.”
Riven clapped his hands together and said, “Alright then! Let’s see what we’ve been hearing about! Niera, if you wouldn't mind staying nearby please, although there is no need at this moment for any intervention or assistance; not just yet.” Niera nodded and sat down on the packed earth, her back resting on a heavy stone bench. She closed her eyes and appeared to begin napping. I had a
brief moment of envy, wishing I had rested a couple hours more, but pushed the thought away. It was time to work.
Riven called me forward and pointed to a practice dummy. “Show me fire!” instructed Riven.
I called out my spell, crafting a ball of flame in my palm and hurled it away, speeding forth and hitting the dummy in the chest.
“Good. Can you show me ice?” he asked next.
Again, words spilled from my mouth and a hard ball of ice flew forth shattering as it struck the target.
His questions became more varied. He asked, “Can you control your spells? Can you make them bigger or smaller, or cover different distances? Can you make them linger on an object? Could you, for example, light a candle wick, then a campfire or something even larger?
“I've never attempted to control it like that before, not on purpose.” I explained. “I will try.”
“You will not only try, you will learn. You will find that as your mind becomes stronger, so will your magic. Eventually you will see that it will come as easily as breathing.” said Riven. “I have not always had the control I have today.” Riven wordlessly pulled forth a small ball of flame, rolling it between his fingers and over the top of his hand, then adding a second, then a third. He continued speaking, all while juggling the same small flames in and around his fingers, “Try to see a picture in your mind of what you need to achieve, while you are casting. Imagine the small flame or the searing inferno.” The small flames shot up from his hand and into the air and landed several yards away from us in a huge explosion, pulling the earth up from the ground as the spell hit the hard field. A shower of sand and dirt rained down for several moments. Riven then pulled out a candle from a pocket in his robes and wedged it into the ground before us. “Light this candle. Be mindful, wick only!”
I looked at the candle on the ground, memorizing the shape, the length of the wick. I tried to imagine just lighting the tip. A spell fell from my lips...the wick smoked for a couple moments...and then it stopped smoking.
“Try again,” said Riven.
I took a deep breath and spoke my spell once again. Once again, the wick let out a small stream of smoke, then went cold. I stretched and focused hard again on the candlewick. “Ignis-atras”, fell from my lips once again. The wick of the candle burst into flames! And then the wax melted, and a few small clumps of dirt shot out in all directions. I sighed as I saw Riven pull a large box of candles from a cart near the bench. I knew what I'd be working on today.
It started with the candles, hour after hour, day after day. Until I had mastered them. First one at a time, then in sequences ranging from close distance to several yards to the distance of the field and back again. Then we began on moving targets. Riven was ruthless and precise in his combinations and expected the same of me.
Hours and days, and eventually weeks were spent honing my skills. When I had perfected the candles, Riven increased my training, making targets more difficult. We worked on creating infernos and ice storms. I learned to whisper to the earth, creating barriers and traps. Frequently, I would arrive at the training fields to find Cooper or Niera there. We would work together as I began learning how to slow and snare my enemies, encasing them in earth or lulling them to sleep with a whisper on a light breeze.
Some days were not for my magic. Some days were defensive lessons. I looked forward to those with a mixture of dread and anticipation, as those were the days, I worked most closely with Cooper initially. He would taunt me, with such an arrogant smirk on his face. So much confidence, as we would circle each other. He usually had a practice sword or a dagger in his hands. It was with him that I learned the deadly dance of attack and evasion. Riven would bind my magic on these days so I couldn’t cheat. I needed to learn to defend myself without the use of spells and shields.
In the beginning, Cooper was always at my throat or sweeping my feet from under me and pinning me down. “Watch me!” He would get frustrated. “Don’t let me near you!”
I’d pick myself up from the ground, shrugging and rolling my shoulders to rid myself of the pins and needles sensation that always followed the hard landings. It was tough fighting Cooper. I wanted him close. I wanted him at my neck, pulling me down, covering me with his body. It was hard for me to fight him.
After several sessions with mediocre results, Riven brought in another warrior for me to train with. Her name was Anara. She was strong with wiry muscles and short honey blonde hair. And the looks she gave Cooper…well, I didn’t think I would ever be the jealous type, but quickly discovered that I had no problems training with Anara. She brought out the worst in me, just when I needed to find it.
She worked me hard. Made me run, use muscles I didn’t realize I had. And she kept me just angry enough with her that our sparring lessons had quickly changed from tedious and not so productive to great exchanges of energy. I would never be a warrior, but I was learning to keep up with one. My arms, they would never have the strength to wield the sword and shield. But my feet, my feet learned to dance away from the dangers. My balance increased. My perception widened.
Eventually, Anara and I did find some common ground—although not before I learned she was more interested in our friend Torres. She apologized for egging me on with Cooper, stating that this was the only way she could force me to find the fight inside myself.
On rainy days I drew together great pools of water or directed streams. Over time I had fully bound myself to the elements and in return they heeded my commands. I became stronger. I was growing, evolving. My free time was spent mainly with Cooper, and often Niera joined us as well. The three of us became close friends, I couldn't remember ever having even imagined creating such bonds as we had.
Chapter 5—Ascension
THE DREAMS CONTINUED. THE scaly demons, I came to know as the Lluren. I also frequently saw the ebony wings of the Ustenian ravens. The fighting, and the flames, all grew. The faces of my companions, new brothers and sisters in arms, would flash in my mind. Cooper was always at my side, and our white wings pounded the air as his heavy sword would gleam bright, slicing through the shadows, pushing back nameless foes. The battles were hard and tiring. The horned demons would scream out their anger, promising to cut us down. My hands would rise high, casting spells which would end them. Then would come the scream, which was always followed by the darkness. But instead of the child’s fear these dreams now brought forth an excitement. I would wake alert, with a feeling of bloodlust coursing through my body.
I had lost track of the days as morning after morning I went to the practice field to meet Riven for our daily workouts. The small corner of the practice field which we had claimed as our own area was now blackened, rutted, and barren of any life. The earth had been torn and flung into jagged chunks of rock and debris from several long weeks of heavy casting. Riven stood near the stone bench where our hard work had begun so many weeks ago. In his hand was a large satchel. I looked at him curiously wondering what my next test would include. As I approached, I noticed a different expression filling his face.
“Skye,” he began, “you have worked this field to its end. Now you must work it back to a new beginning.” He handed me the satchel and I opened it curiously. Seeds. He continued, “After you have repaired the earth and spread the seeds, we will take a walk. It’s time you meet an old acquaintance.”
I spent several hours coaxing the land back to something workable and spreading the seeds. Whispered words fell from my lips, churning the ground. Soothing spells asking the land to accept this gift of life which I was offering. I called down gentle rains to bathe the field when I had finished planting, thanking the earth for being so patient with me over the many weeks past. The sun hung low in the sky, painting the horizon with a mixture of oranges, reds and violets and I finally went to find Riven, having finished my task.
He looked over our practice field and nodded with approval, then together we walked out of the town and into the waiting woods that made up the edge of the Espencheid Forest.
Riven led me down an unfamiliar path far beyond Ridott Village.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ve been having the dreams for some time now. It’s more…I believe…than the result of a campfire story, or any passing notion. I’m taking you to the Kauri.”
“The Kauri?” What is that?”
“They,” he corrected, “are the great ones who have protected our land for all times. They hold the history of our world. We will meet with one of the oldest, Espencheid.”
“Espencheid? I thought that was a place. It's a person?” I asked, surprised I didn’t know this. After all, it was the Espencheid Forest in which I had lived my life, never understanding any connection until now. I continued walking with Riven, wondering what else I didn’t know.
“Espencheid is a Kauri, perhaps the greatest of their kind. You will have much to learn from them. Things you should have been taught long ago. I know Serafina had a hard time with Soulkos’ death, but I had no idea she would forego the lessons of our history.” Said Riven sadly.
“Serafina?”
“Your mother.”
“Yes, but what does she have to do with this? And Soulkos, you knew him?” I was trying to make sense of what he was saying.
“I knew him before the Great Break.” Riven answered with a nod, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead. “But this is not the time to discuss your father. We are close to our destination. Our friend Ian will be there as well, although he is sure to say we are late. He has seen us coming to him for some time now.”
“Ian mentioned it to me on my first night here, but I never really understood what he meant.” I shrugged as we continued walking.
After some time Riven raised his hand, pointing through the trees. “We are nearing Espencheid, the Kauri have alerted him of our arrival.” We stepped through the heavy brush into a small clearing.