The Eye of Elicion: The Kinowenn Chronicles Vol 1

by Rachel Ronning

  “You did really well,” said Darren.

  “Thanks, we work well together,” replied Lucy. “Time to go abuse my arm.”

  They took off towards the archery section. Lucy had grabbed a leather thong to place over her forearm, but it was not long enough to protect the entire area that Lucy needed protecting. She was hopeless at this. Even though she did manage to hit the target periodically, the bowstring still whipped across her arm with most of her shots. She tried holding the bow different ways and putting the protective leather in different places, but it was no use. She only hoped they would be done with this soon. She also hoped she was less inept at whatever weapon they switched to next.

  She was glad of the periodic breaks. Every time a pair would come out of the obstacle course everyone turned to look at them and congratulate them. No one seemed terribly injured. There were a few small cuts or bruises here and there, mostly from people tripping and falling. Darren and Lucy were the fastest pair by far.

  When class was over, Lucy sighed with relief. She did not think her arm could take much more. She was sure that if the bow were any sharper she would be bleeding. She made her way to the Dining Hall, grabbed a tray of food, and collapsed at their table next to Justin.

  Justin swallowed a bite of casserole and motioned for Lucy to give him her arm. Wordlessly, she rolled up her shirt and held out her arm. Justin looked at the bruised and red skin, shook his head, and held his hand over her arm while muttering a few words. Sure enough, the bruises faded, and the pain receded.

  “Thanks,” she smiled wanly at Justin.

  “You’re welcome,” he replied.

  Gavin, who had been watching from across the table, shook his head as well.

  “You really are hopeless when it comes to a bow.”

  “Sadly, yes, I’m quite sure the bow is not going to be my weapon of choice. At least, I hope so. I can’t possibly be worse at every weapon,” said Lucy.

  Maya smiled consolingly, “Don’t worry, it takes some people a while.”

  “What are you training on?” Lucy asked the group.

  “Everything,” said Gavin with a shrug. “Weapons come easily to me. However, I’m glad Justin is around to help out with cuts and bruises because I am terrible at healing.”

  “I do pretty well with a bow,” said Maya. “I like having a range weapon to work with, but I’m trained to fight with a short sword about two feet in length. I’m working on incorporating a dagger in as well. Believe me, I had my share of injuries before we found what works for me. I managed to hit myself in the head during staff training. Honestly, I’m not great with a sword, but I’ll be able to keep myself alive against most adversaries we’re likely to run across.”

  “I primarily use a staff,” said Justin, “Although I’m trying to get better with a spear of some type. I can also use a sword reasonably well. Once we are better at magic, those strong enough will get training in magical weaponry as well. Most of that deals with using the elements. I guess some people can throw fireballs, strike people with lightning bolts, or pin people down with wind.”

  “Wow,” said Lucy amazed, “Can people meddle with the weather like that?”

  “This is different. I haven’t taken any of the classes yet; I have them later. Yes, you should not meddle with the weather, if it can be avoided. That can have dangerous consequences. They teach you more to use what is already there.” Justin took out a candle and set it in front of him on the table. “Soon, you will learn how to do things like light a candle.” As he spoke the wick burst into flames. “The energy to do that comes from around you and through you. Now, if I were to take the fire out of a fireplace two rooms away and bring it flying down the hallway to light my candle that could have dire consequences. Remember to use what is around you before reaching for things. Misplacing energy can cause great side effects. For instance, the room I took the fire from would now be cold, and so would the people in it. Also, I could have burnt any number of people, drawing the fire here. The weather is like that. Don’t bring water from somewhere else if you can draw it from the air around you.”

  “This is sounding complicated and simple at the same time,” said Lucy.

  “The art of subtlety. That’s one reason why we have training. Also anyone who cannot master their limits is unlikely to last long. It takes great power and control to use magic as a weapon in big ways.”

  “Which is one reason, I will never be able to do it,” said Gavin. “I can pass my classes alright, but I’m not powerful enough to do that. Nor would I want to. I prefer to take a bow and shoot someone rather than throw a fireball at them. Less exhausting that way too.”

  “Well, I’ve ruled out the bow and arrow so I might want to look into the fireball option,” said Lucy, though she was partly joking. This was her first week. She could make a matchbox change colors. The idea of throwing fire at someone seemed almost undoable and, admittedly, a little scary.

  “I don’t think I’ll be looking into it either,” said Maya. “I know enough not to get myself killed, and I think my talents lie in other areas. I’m great at learning languages and I have a great mind for remembering customs and protocol. I’m also decent at potions. I’m working on making poisons my specialty. Recognizing, curing, and concocting. Some people have said that poison is a weapon of cowardice. I say learn to work with your talents. If someone is trying to kill me, I’m not picky how I manage to kill them first. I think I would have better luck with a poisoned arrow than a lightning bolt. Besides, I’m not sure I’m powerful enough,” she finished with a shrug.

  “I have no idea if I’m powerful enough,” said Lucy.

  “You have time to find out,” said Justin. “On the upside,” he said, returning to the earlier subject, “you only study bow and arrows for a week or so.”

  “That’s not long enough to become proficient,” said Lucy surprised.

  “No, but you’re in an Intro class. It is long enough to discover if it is a weapon you want more proficiency in or not. They will spend more time on weapons like swords where everyone should have a basic skill set. You knew after the first day that you never wanted to use a bow again. Others in the class knew right away that it was a weapon they could master given time,” said Gavin.

  “So, how did they make you do the obstacle today?” asked Maya.

  “Paired and blind folded.”

  “Really? That’s difficult. Usually he waits a few more times for that one,” said Maya. “How did it go?”

  “Not as bad as I thought it would. I was paired with Darren and that helped. We work well together.”

  “You’d be surprised how many different diabolical ways Orin and Tannin think up for you to do that obstacle course,” said Justin.

  “I thought they were fun,” defended Gavin.

  “Fun or not, they do get you ready for most flight scenarios,” said Justin.

  “As enjoyable as this has been,” said Lucy, “I need to get to my next class.”

  They all nodded in agreement, finished eating, and went to their next classes. Justin walked with her a ways.

  “Enjoy talking to Ash,” he said as they separated.

  She grinned and proceeded to the stables. This time the horses were not saddled and waiting for them.

  “Good afternoon,” Gareth smiled at the class. “Ordinarily, unless you become wealthy enough, you will be taking care of your own horse on some level. Today we will saddle, ride, unsaddle, and brush down. Pick a horse and we will begin.”

  Lucy pushed to the front of the group so that no one claimed Ash first. She smiled in greeting and said ‘hello’ in her head. Ash greeted her back. Once everyone had a horse; Gareth starting instructing. Lucy was pleased to see that Philip was doing well. He had problems in so many classes, and Lucy got the impression earlier that he was scared of horses. Perhaps he was mastering that fear.

  Lucy only half listened to Gareth. She mostly listened to Ash. Ash knew exactly how she liked things and could tell Lucy if the
girth was too tight or if the bridle was going to rub a place raw if she did not adjust it. Some of her classmates might consider this cheating. Lucy saw it as using her gifts and knew she would not begrudge a classmate with similar talents. Gareth walked by and inspected everyone to make sure no one had forgotten to tighten anything. Having a saddle fall off a horse while running was embarrassing and, more importantly, dangerous.

  Soon they were outside, riding through the trails. Lucy loved riding. A wonderful sense of freedom and relaxation overcame her while on the back of a horse. She much preferred them to cars. Ash and Lucy talked back and forth most of the way. Lucy told Ash about her deplorable shooting. Ash told Lucy about the rider she had had earlier in the day that wrapped her arms around Ash’s neck when they went over a jump and refused to let go. After they finished the trails, Gareth ran them through some more basic control exercises. Ash performed admirably and Lucy managed to hang on. Then, the class led the horses back to the stables where Gareth, and in Lucy’s case Ash, gave instructions on unsaddling and brushing.

  “From now on, the moment you get to class, pick a horse, saddle it, and walk it around the corral until we begin. Don’t wait for me to tell you to saddle a horse,” said Gareth, and he dismissed the class.

  Lucy stayed and brushed Ash for a few extra minutes. Lucy appreciated Ash’s friendship, and it was something she could do for her friend in return. Lucy finally left the stables and retreated to her room. She showered the day’s dirt and sweat from her body as well as letting the hot water soothe her slightly aching muscles. Lucy was in decent shape but still unused to this much physical activity that worked muscles most people forgot they had. Then, she made her way to the Dining Hall.

  By the time Lucy reached the Dining Hall, she was ravenous. She piled her plate high with roast beast, cooked carrots, dinner rolls, and fresh fruit. When she dropped her plate on the table, Maya laughed.

  “Trying to eat as much as the guys?” she teased.

  “No, but I’m starving so I thought I’d eat.”

  “Capital idea,” added Gavin, stuffing a slice of roast into his mouth.

  “I understand, but do you really need four dinner rolls?” asked Maya still smiling.

  “I’m not happy unless I’ve gotten my daily overdose of carbohydrates,” replied Lucy.

  Everyone laughed.

  “How did your classes go today?” asked Lucy.

  “Wonderful,” said Maya. “My voice lessons are coming along, and I’ve started another language class.”

  “Another language class?” asked Gavin, his eyes wide. “I thought you were already taking four.”

  “I am, but there are over twenty languages on Kinowenn that we can take and a few more obscure ones I hope to learn when I get there,” replied Maya.

  “Wait, you plan to learn twenty languages while you are here?” asked Lucy, impressed by Maya’s ambition and the fact that it was probably an achievable goal given the fact that she was already taking four languages.

  “Certainly. I want to be fluent, or as close to that as possible everywhere I travel. You never know when being able to speak a language will come in useful or save your life.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” said Lucy. Languages were not entirely her strong point. She could learn to read a language quickly and even understand a decent portion if someone talked to her, but she was terrible at learning how to speak other languages. Her pronunciation issues usually made her classmates laugh. She knew she was going to have to start to learn languages as soon as she picked a land to go to. She hoped she would be able to gain some respect from other students before she had to embarrass herself in a language class.

  Chapter 13

  Lucy slept in a little on Saturday. She was relieved to make it to the weekend. She kept up with her homework rather well, but she still had plenty to read and a couple of essays to complete. Not to mention, it might do her some good later on in life if she practiced shooting with a bow sometime today. Lucy stretched, dressed, and made her way down to breakfast. She had only been at school a week and had already gotten used to the routine. She was not sure what she would do all weekend without the exhausting, though enjoyable, schedule of classes.

  She sat down next to Gavin who swallowed a huge mouthful of pancakes to wish her good morning before continuing to work on the excessive stack in front of him. Lucy started eating her myriad of fruit, while thinking about what she would like to accomplish that day. It was not long before her choices were made for her, for the morning at least.

  “Morning,” said Justin, sitting down, his stack of French toast not quite rivaling Gavin’s pancake tower.

  “Morning,” replied Lucy, while Gavin nodded in greeting, his mouth full.

  “I have a message for you,” Justin directed this comment to Lucy.

  “And what’s that?” asked Lucy, wondering who would have a message for her.

  “Eric has requested you join him in his office after breakfast for a first week review.”

  “Review? That sounds ominous.”

  “Nothing to worry about, really,” assured Justin. Gavin nodded his agreement. “Everyone has one. Basically he asks how you like things, if you still want to continue with training, if you are having any issues, or if you have any questions that need answering, that kind of thing.”

  “Eric likes to have a feel for the students and what’s going on around here. Be honest with him,” added Gavin. “Besides, it would not surprise me if he could read minds.”

  Gavin took another mouthful of pancake and looked perplexed, pondering the idea that Eric might be able to read minds. Justin was half-way through his French toast when Maya sat down.

  “Morning,” she greeted them. “What are our plans for this fine day?”

  “Lucy has a meeting with Eric,” offered Justin.

  “First week review? Nothing to worry about, you’ll be done quickly. What shall we do after that?”

  Gavin swallowed, “I’ve heard a rumor that Lucy could use some practice shooting,” he said in a teasing way.

  “Sadly true,” admitted Lucy.

  “I say Lucy should meet us at the practice yard when her meeting is done. We can do some shooting and perhaps some other weapon training,” suggested Gavin. “I like to get some good practicing in on weekends.”

  The others nodded in agreement.

  “I could use some more practice with a bow,” added Maya, “and sparring keeps me on my toes.”

  Since plans for the day had been tentatively made, Lucy finished the last of her fruit and got up to leave.

  “Do you remember the way to Eric’s room?” asked Justin.

  “I think I can find it. I’ll see you at the practice yard.”

  It was odd being a part of other people’s plans, but Lucy was starting to like it. She had never had a lot of friends and was used to spending lots of time on her own. Suddenly, she had plans and friends. Even though she hadn’t dealt with all the mental and emotional changes she was experiencing, she liked this place and the people in it.

  Lucy left the Dining Hall and walked down the hallway. Even though the others had brushed off her meeting with Eric as a mere formality, she could not help but be a little nervous. She had been working hard and she was sure she was meeting expectations and standards. Still, meetings with authority unsettled her. She always felt that she was in trouble even if she was sure she had not done anything wrong. She reached Eric’s door more quickly than she had expected and knocked.

  “Come in,” Eric said from the other side of the door.

  She entered. The room was exactly how she remembered it.

  “Good morning,” she greeted him.

  “Good morning Lucy,” he replied and motioned for her to sit. She did. Then the questions began. He asked the next one almost as soon as she finished responding to the first. He asked her to stick to immediate impressions rather than go into detail. They would go into detail after they got the basics out of the way.

&nbs
p; “How do you find school?”

  “I love it,” Lucy replied with enthusiasm.

  “Your room is satisfactory?”

  “Beyond satisfactory.”

  “You like your classes?”

  “They are the classes I have wanted to take all my life.”

  “Your classmates?”

  “I’m finding like minded people to associate with.”

  “Your teachers?”

  “Fully competent, demanding, and patient.”

  “Your performance so far?”

  “Adequate except for weapons.”

  “Weapons?” he asked obviously wanting more.

  “So far we are working on shooting a bow. I think I cause more damage to myself than the target. Don’t worry though, my friends are meeting me at the practice grounds after this to help me work on that.”

  “I’m not worried. Not everyone can excel at everything. As long as you find one weapon that you can use proficiently, you should be fine. I find I have little use for staffs. Long ungainly things to trip over,” Eric finished with a smile.

  Lucy smiled back.

  “Does any weapon catch your fancy?”

  “I’d like to try them all. That’s what I like most about these introductory classes. They give you a wide variety of experiences and hope.”

  “Hope?” asked Eric.

  “Well, I know I will be trying many weapons. I can always hope that I will be better at the next one since I am so poor at shooting.” Lucy smiled. Then she said almost shyly, “Actually, Justin mentioned magical weapons such as throwing fire balls earlier in the week. I would like to learn that if I am capable.”

  “Lofty goal,” replied Eric.

  “Maya wants to speak twenty languages, and I want to strike people with lightning. We each have our goals,” shrugged Lucy.

  “You claim your performance in class is adequate, yet you think yourself capable of highly advanced magic?”

  “Well,” Lucy faltered, “it was just an idea. Perhaps not.” She began to feel disappointed in herself and self-conscious.

  “You gave up quickly.”