by B. T. Narro
“My turn,” Remi said as she approached us with a devilish grin. She had been watching for some time. She formed a small fireball and looked at me with eyebrows raised.
“Um,” I said. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Just one time. I want to feel how strong you are,” Remi said. “Kat could put out any fire, if it slips and strikes one of the buildings.”
I looked over at Kataleya. She appeared as reluctant as I felt.
“Come on,” Remi encouraged. “It’s just a small fireball.
“Best-case scenario, it will leave a hideous mark on the wall,” Kataleya said.
“Then we’ll shoot it into the air,” Remi said. “It will dissipate up there.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
She hummed in thought. “Maybe not.”
“Remi!” Kataleya complained with a bit of a laugh. “You shouldn’t be so adventurous with fire!”
“You can put it out!” Remi repeated.
“What if it sails into the surrounding city and catches someone’s roof on fire?” Kataleya posed.
“In that case, um.” Remi scratched her head. “We’ll shoot it into the ground.”
Jennava was on the other side of the courtyard, working with Michael. He had a sword in hand, but I could see dust rising up as he fought an imaginary opponent. Surely, he was casting wind while he was swinging his sword. Over the course of the morning, it seemed as if Jennava was helping him make progress with something, both of them energetic about whatever it was they were working on.
“Jennava,” I called to her. “Could you weigh in on something for us?”
Remi groaned as Jennava jogged over.
“What is it?” Jennava asked.
“Did you see how Kataleya and I were working on a slingshot spell?” I asked.
“I did. I think it’s a marvelous idea. I was going to ask who came up with it.”
“I think it was Kataleya,” I said. I couldn’t quite remember, but it wasn’t important now. “Remi wants to try with fire.”
“The slingshot spell is not worth it with fire,” Jennava answered immediately. “I give you permission to try with a very small fireball. Just be careful where you aim it, Remi. That wall is fine.” She gestured at the wall just ahead of us that Kataleya and I had been using as a target.
“It’s going to leave a mark,” Kataleya warned.
“I will explain to the king that it was a necessary experiment,” Jennava said. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
Remi had an excited grin as she made a fireball.
“I’m going to start pushing the other way,” I let her know.
She nodded.
I grabbed her fire and started to push, but my dvinia lit up before my eyes, a red, sizzling outline making my energy visible. I felt it disintegrating, burning away, forcing me to replenish it as I pushed harder. It was far more of a strain than trying to keep hold of water.
Remi pushed back hard. I wasn’t sure Kataleya wanted to know, but it was clear to me that Remi was much stronger. Or perhaps fire was just more powerful in the same way my spell was compared to the spell of Water.
“I’m about at my limit,” Remi said with a strained voice.
“Me, too. Three, two, one.” I let go.
Her fireball whipped through the air. There was a small but loud and bright explosion where it struck the wall. Jennava didn’t seem too worried about what damage it might’ve caused as she pointed at me and Remi.
“Look,” she said. “You are both breathing hard. Consider how much that took out of you, and an arrow could’ve done about the same damage. Now, was that worth it?”
“No,” Remi answered sullenly.
I shook my head.
“Even if you were to practice launching a fireball the size of a boulder,” Jennava said, “imagine how much mana it would take to prepare the fireball to be launched. And for what? Some extra power? It would be better to let Remi make her own fireballs and toss them herself. Water is different because it doesn’t burn away Jon’s dvinia, providing us with more options of how it could be used. Imagine we position ourselves uphill against our charging enemies, and we have a number of wizards and dark mages, like Jon, Eden, and myself, who could hold Kataleya’s water still as she builds up a flood.”
“You thought of that just this morning?” I asked.
“It’s one of a few possibilities I thought of.” Jennava clicked her tongue as she finally seemed to notice the chips in the wall Kataleya and I had made, along with the new black spot. “But the more immediate issue is where we can train this slingshot spell without destroying the castle. Give me some time to think on that as you return to your normal training.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kataleya spoke for us.
Souriff suddenly came down from the sky. Her shirt was stained with splotches of blood, her silvery hair disheveled and curled by an extreme force of wind, no doubt.
“The mountains are no longer protected,” she informed us as Michael hurried over to listen.
“And Failina?” I inquired nervously.
“She’s safe, no thanks to you. She will remain hidden for now.”
Michael asked, “You don’t trust us with her location?”
“I don’t know all of you well enough to trust you. Where is your king, currently? I have matters to discuss.”
Michael nervously pointed at the keep.
Souriff flew over and landed in front of the door. The guards standing there quickly got it open for her.
“I hope he tells us whatever she says to him,” Michael commented. “I bet Failina’s with Eslenda in the forest.”
I’d heard that Eslenda had spoken with Barrett sometime yesterday, but I hadn’t been made aware of any plans involving her yet. I didn’t know she’d left.
“Did you see her leaving?” I asked Michael.
“I heard the portcullis in the very early morning. It woke me up. I decided to get up and see who was leaving. It was her. Speaking of…”
As if on cue, we watched the portcullis rise with a loud clinking sound. Leon walked through. He was visibly tired, with a slouch and an expression that made me want to stay away from him. But he had two swords with him, and he had left with only one. Seeing as how he had gone with Charlie to see about melting and shaping Valaer steel, I very much wanted to see the second blade he carried in a sheath.
We headed over to intercept Leon as he made a beeline for the keep. Michael muttered to our group, “Who’s going to ask about Charlie? How about you, Jennava? He doesn’t yell at you like he does the rest of us.”
“Because he knows what I would do to him,” she said.
I didn’t get what she was hinting at, but I was fine with not knowing. Part of me had thought that something romantic might happen between Leon and Jennava. Another part of me thought that it already had many years ago. But the more that I saw them together, the more I was doubting they’d ever had a relationship beyond friendship. Especially considering how Leon had acted around Aliana’s mother. I had not seen him express interest in Jennava, or anyone else, in that same way.
When we were close, she asked Leon, “What happened? Where’s Charlie?”
“Charlie’s staying in Koluk for now. He has a lot to do. Is the king in the keep?”
“With Souriff,” Jennava said.
“Can I see that sword?” I interjected.
Leon showed me a wry smile. “Yes, you can.” He pulled the weapon out of its sheath.
“Good god,” Michael muttered.
“I’ve never seen metal like that before,” I said. “That’s Valaer steel?”
“It’s an alloy of Valaer steel and other metals. Here, hold it.” Leon handed me the weapon.
I wasn’t sure of the exact color of this weapon because the blade itself was as fine a mirror as I had ever seen. As the blade moved while Leon passed the handle to me, it changed colors to reflect the dark dirt, the gray wall, and even the blue sky.
�
��It’s light,” I said.
“Damn strong, too,” Leon added.
I figured he was right. Even though there was hardly any weight to it, it felt sturdy.
“Can I see it?” Michael asked.
I handed it to him. His eyes widened as he took it a few steps away from us.
To my surprise, he swung it a few times around him with incredible speed, gusts of wind propelling every strike.
“Michael!” I said in shock. “Is that what you’ve been working on with Jennava?”
“Yeah, isn’t it something?” He gave us another demonstration, swinging four times, then stabbed the air before he ended with a spinning swing, cutting the head off his imaginary opponent. With wind propelling every strike, I couldn’t imagine it would be easy to defend against him. He looked down at the weapon when he was done. It seemed as if he didn’t want to part with it, but he reluctantly made his way back to us.
“Let me try,” Remi said.
She took the weapon and moved away to take a few swings. She didn’t have nearly the same speed or strength as Michael, but even as small as she was, she looked like a fearsome opponent with that blade in hand.
“That’s enough,” Leon said. “I want to show it to the king before any of you get a scuff on it.”
Remi handed it back to him. “Will more be made?”
“That’s what Charlie’s doing right now, but we don’t have a lot of Valaer steel. We need armor as well, especially for our healer, here.” He gestured at me.
*****
I spent most of lunch speaking with Michael about sword fighting. I figured that if he could use wind to his advantage like that, I should be able to do the same with dvinia, but soon I found out that it wouldn’t be optimal. Jennava had already gone over this with him and left it to Michael to explain it to me.
Wind had the best ratio of velocity to mana. It was why wind was the spell of choice for Eslenda, in terms of keeping enemies back. Dvinia was powerful. It held together better, making it more useful to strike anything farther than a few yards away, but it took more out of me. It also required much more precision than wind did if I planned to propel my swinging arms without hurting the quality of my attack. For example, if I used dvinia to propel my attacking arm, but I hit my elbow with too much power, it would change the trajectory of my swing.
Wind was different. It wasn’t difficult for Michael to make an even gust of wind that affected his entire arm. Also, he could use wind for a longer period of time without tiring out.
“It’s not going to be very useful, anyway,” Michael said when I expressed some disappointment that I wouldn’t be able to use it like he did. “It’s not like there’s going to be a good opportunity even for me to use it. I’m always being tossed around like a doll every time I’ve had to face Rohaer’s sorcerers. I’ve never had the chance to stand against one lone swordsman without dealing with a bunch of others at the same time or some bothersome dteria mage making it nearly impossible to fight.”
“That’s not an issue. You just have to learn to use the wind to defend yourself against multiple swordsmen at the same time.”
“I’m not like you, Jon! When there’s more than one of them trying to stab me, I’m casting or I’m running. Usually both. That’s the only reason I’m sitting here, enjoying this fine meal.”
I gave a chuckle. “Fair enough, but I think eventually you’ll be able to take on more than one.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. Not with dteria constantly pushing me down or lifting me into the air. I don’t know how you always manage to kill so many of them, especially when they seem to target you more than the rest of us.”
I felt my mood souring as I remembered the feeling of taking so many lives with my sword. I gave a sigh. “I wish this could end without me having to kill anyone else.”
Michael shrugged as he took a large bite from his plate. “I don’t know why you care. It serves them right.”
I could feel Callie staring at me from the royal table where she ate with her mother. I knew I shouldn’t avoid her gaze, but it felt even more awkward to look back across the room. I didn’t want to insult her, though, so I did. She smiled brightly. I returned the gesture with a polite smile and a nod.
Michael noticed, smirking. “So she hasn’t given up yet?”
“I think she’s just being friendly,” I said, not wanting to entertain the alternative, especially if Kataleya was right. Maybe the king had mentioned the idea to his daughter already.
I doubted that. I was pretty sure she would’ve at least hinted at it by now if that was the case.
“Yes, it must be that,” Michael agreed sarcastically. Then he waved at the princess with a smile.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“An experiment.”
Callie looked a little nervous as she smiled crookedly and waved back without much enthusiasm.
“Yup,” Michael said as he returned to his meal. “She sure is friendly to all of us.”
“To be fair,” I countered, “I did develop an actual friendship with her that I don’t believe you did.” My heart sank as I realized something. “By the way, how are birthdays handled here?”
“Do you mean celebrated?” Michael asked with a laugh. “Handled,” he said, making fun of me. “Somebody isn’t very excited about someone’s birthday. Oh!” He pointed at the princess. “You’re talking about her birthday.” Then he laughed harder.
“I’m just worried about possibly offending the princess by not adhering to customs,” I explained as casually as I could, hoping to drain Michael’s enthusiasm for teasing me at least a little bit.
“Well, the rich give each other gifts for every birthday,” he said. “They also often host birthday celebrations. The rest of us give a gift to each other when we can, but it’s not expected and certainly not required.”
“You don’t think she expected me to get her something, do you?” I was not even here when her birthday passed.
“Probably. Princesses expect a lot of things that the rest of us don’t.”
Leon approached our table. “The king wants to speak with you, Jon.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I met the king in the keep. It was good to see that he was well-protected, sitting in a windowless room with a retinue of guards outside. I imagined Souriff had made him aware of just how threatening Valinox was until we found a way of dealing with his invisibility. I hoped the same protections would be offered to us, at least in some capacity.
The king looked like he was ready for an immediate battle, chainmail beneath his shirt, thick gloves on his hands as if to better handle a weapon. He always appeared well-groomed. His brown hair and beard were straight, with a shine to them in this lamp-lit room. There was even a sword in a sheath on his belt. I wondered how well he knew how to use it.
His gray eyes held concern. “Jon, you have my thanks for everything you’ve done so far,” he said, no hint of a smile, not a glimmer of emotion across his face. This was all business. “Leon explained that Endell had set up a defense that was nearly impenetrable with dark mages guarding a squad of archers. If it wasn’t for you, we would’ve lost a lot more of our new allies than we did, and possibly some of my sorcerers.”
“It wasn’t just me, sire,” I said. “I couldn’t have done much without Hadley’s curses and the rest of the sorcerers distracting them.”
“Yes, I understand that is the case. I’m grateful for everyone’s courage. If Leon had been forced to withdraw from Koluk and leave my sorcerers as prisoners, it might have been the first step toward certain defeat. I heard that Souriff dropped you off from the sky before anyone else arrived. Can you confirm that Eden and Eslenda saved Charlie’s life? Did you see it happen?”
“I didn’t see it, exactly, but I think I would’ve been too late to do so myself. By the time I made it to where Charlie had been held, Eden and Eslenda were long gone with him. So I’m almost certain that, yes, they saved him.”
&
nbsp; “I figured, but I thought I would ask just to make sure. That, however, is not the primary reason of your visit. We have a few other matters to discuss.”
The king was sitting at the end of the table, a couple guards on either side. I took the chair nearest to him. My pulse increased as he unfastened the sheath from his belt and set it on the table.
“This is the first sword known to us made of Valaer steel,” the king said. “I want you to have it. Now I don’t want to hear any modesty—”
“Thank you, sire!” I interrupted excitedly, figuring if there was any time to interrupt the king it was now.
He chuckled as I hurried to gather up the sword and sheath, standing and pulling out the weapon for another look. It felt like it belonged in my hands.
“I’m also having armor fitted for you.” The king gestured at one of the servants standing ready.
The man approached me, gave a bow that surprised me, then unveiled a measuring string. He had me stand still, lifting my arms at times to measure me as the king continued.
“I have sent a messenger for the krepps to return with more Valaer steel. I can’t say exactly when they will arrive, but I would like you present when they do. You will need to study up on your Kreppen before then.”
“Excuse me, sire, but don’t you have someone studying as a translator already?” I hadn’t heard any news about this, but I figured it had to be the case.
“Two translators are currently in training, but the krepps like you, especially Grufaeragar, who seems to be their ambassador. Knowing some of their language will go a long way.”
“It’s just…I’m not sure I’ll have the time. Isn’t Rohaer coming?”
“They are,” he said with a dark tone. “We’re still waiting for our scouts, or perhaps Souriff herself, to tell us what kind of mobile force their king has deployed and how long they will take to get here. A number of missions have already commenced long before today to prepare for this event. Depending on various factors, we may opt to strike first. I don’t expect you to take many hours away from your training to brush up on your Kreppen, just some. It is important, as is one other matter.”