by Walls, Devri
“How can he find it?” Emane asked. “I thought it was protected.”
“There are those on his side who know how to find it. It won’t be easy but it’s not impossible.”
“But how?” Kiora asked.
Eleana sighed. “The Fallen Ones know how to look for the holes in the threads, areas where there are none. When they find a big enough hole they will know they have found the Hollow. And then Dralazar will come for you.”
“How long?” Emane asked.
“I don’t know. It could be a few weeks or a few days. It depends on whose side luck remains.”
“So, what?” Emane asked leaning forward across the table. “We just sit here and wait for them to show up?”
“Arrangements will need to be made for the both of you.” Eleana leaned back in her chair, evaluating the pair. “I had hoped to have more time to negotiate on your behalf, but it seems we’ll have to hope instead that their curiosity gets the best of them.”
“Whose curiosity?” Kiora questioned.
Eleana breezed past as if she hadn’t spoken. “I will work on that while you and Emane train here.”
“Train in what?” Emane asked.
“Magic,” Aleric answered.
“Aleric, I don’t have any magic.”
“Yes, sadly that is something I am well aware of.” Aleric said with a wisp of a smile. “Then what am I suppose to do?” Emane asked.
The smile disappearing, Aleric explained, “You are now in a magical world, you must learn its rules and how to abide by them. You are the Protector of the Solus. You must learn how to do your job.”
“What about me?” Kiora asked
Aleric pulled the Book of Arian out, and handed it to her. “You will work from this.”
She turned it over, the old leather smooth in her hands. On the front was an image she hadn’t noticed before. Two hands holding an orb, which glowed an eerie blue. Strange lettering surrounded the hands, forming a circle. Gently she touched her finger to it, tracing the lettering around the orb.
“What does it say?”
“With you all hope lies” Eleana answered. Her voice was thick, Kiora glanced at her. She looked guilty. Noticing her gaze Eleana straightened, neatly erasing whatever it was Kiora thought she had seen. Shrinking back in her chair Kiora looked at the book. As if she didn’t already have enough pressure.
“Open it,” Eleana encouraged.
Flipping it open to the middle of the book she looked at two blank pages. Thumbing through, she found more of the same, all blank.
“Try the front,” Aleric coached. “It only prints what you are ready for.”
Kiora turned to the front of the book, carefully moving the yellowing pages. As she reached the first page, words began scrolling across it, describing how to achieve a bubble, whatever that was.
“That’s it?” Emane blurted. “One page out of a whole book, that’s all she’s ready for?”
Kiora’s hands tightened on the book. Looking up through her hair, she glared at him. “Sorry,” Emane said, holding his hands in front of him “Just surprised. I would have thought with as long as you two had been working together there would be more, that’s all.” Clearing his throat he crossed his arms in front of him, leaning back in his chair.
“Don’t worry Kiora, his turn is coming quickly.” Aleric grinned.
Emane’s head swiveled with a frown, “What...?”
“It is late,” Eleana signaled that the meeting was over. “But before you go, there is something you both need to see.” Eleana waved her hand back over the basin and the picture changed. Standing in the water was a very handsome dark haired man. He was dressed impeccably with a smile that should have been warm and inviting. It wasn’t. Snaking out of the basin came something that resembled a thread, although it was muted— like hearing something underwater. But, even in its lessened state it was icy, painful, and powerful.
Kiora looked up, trying not to gasp.
“Dralazar,” Eleana said. “You should know what he looks like, especially now that he knows what you both look like. Now, you and Emane both have had an incredibly long day. In the morning we will begin training.” She finished abruptly waving her hand back over the picture in the mirror.
As they turned to leave the tent, Eleana left them one more reminder. “Make sure that you do not leave the Hollow.”
Kiora and Emane both gave a silent nod of understanding before they headed out to their own tents.
Emane walked in front of Kiora, his shoulders sagging. Slumping forward, his feet dragged behind him. Kiora trudged along in his tracks. The magic she had used against Raynor had left her empty and drained. Sighing she rubbed at her eyes. The sun was going down sending rays of light cutting through the leaves at a much lower angle than normal. They caught the Guardians homes at random intervals, sending bursts of greens, yellows, and reds around the Hollow.
Emane slowed as they neared the tents. “Which is mine?” he asked.
“That one,” she pointed.
Grabbing the tent flap he pulled it back, dunking to go inside.
“Emane!” she blurted.
He stopped, turning his head towards her, his eyes half open.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at the ground. “You saved my life today.” When he didn’t say anything she nervously glanced up at him.
“Your welcome.”
She smiled, her hands fidgeting. “Well, good night.” She turned quickly to disappear into her tent.
“Kiora?” she froze, one arm still holding the tent open. “Thank you for saving mine, as well.”
She flushed scarlet red. “You’re welcome.” she dunked inside, rubbing her checks.
Chapter Four
TRAINING
KIORA AWOKE TO SOMETHING humming in her ear, with a groan she rolled over. Opening her eyes, she yelped as she was assaulted by light filtering through the tent and she squeezed her eyes back shut. Opening one eye slowly, she squinted out. The book she had collected, The Book of Arian, was glowing, as well as humming incessantly. She sat up on her elbow, still squinting. What was it doing? She was so tired, she didn’t think she cared right now. Groaning she flopped back on her bed, pulling the blanket over her head. The humming grew louder in obvious protest, how the book realized it was being ignored she could not understand.
Pulling up a corner of the blanket she looked back at the book, the humming lessened. “You can’t be serious,” she muttered. Pulling the blanket back over her face, the humming returned, just as insistent as before. Flopping onto her back she kicked the covers down with a huff. “Alright, alright, I’m coming!” She rolled out of bed and reached over to grab the book. “You are the most demanding book I have ever met.”
She opened the book to the front expecting to see, perhaps, another page filled, but was shocked to see more than ten. She scanned the topics: bubbles, shields, summoning and calling. There were diagrams illustrating how things were to look and be done. As she scanned through the different pages she noticed that calling had some incantations listed.
In the world of magic, most things are performed with your mind and your heart. We do not need the aid of spells and incantations to assist in this. However, there are certain things that are beyond the scope of what we humans alone are capable of creating. As a result we have turned to other magical beings to assist us in these matters resulting in spells and incantations. Calling is the ability to speak to another person over long distances. There are some magical creatures, such as the pegasus, who naturally have this ability. But there is a way to talk to those who do not naturally have this ability. You will need a—
“Kiora?”
She jumped, slamming the book shut. “Yes?”
“Oh good your awake,” Emane said from outside.
Kiora rolled her eyes, if she wasn’t awake, she certainly would have been after his yelling into her tent.
“Malena asked me to have you meet us over at the meeting hall.”
&
nbsp; “I’ll be right over.” She listened to his footsteps as he walked away. Throwing on a clean set of clothes, she quickly brushed through her hair, grimacing as she ripped through sections that still had chunks of mud hidden in it from yesterday. Fumbling around, she looked for a clip to pull her hair back but couldn’t find one. Her hair was long and thick, but fine. It was always flying in her face and tickling her nose. Oh well, she thought as she threw it back over her slender shoulders.
Her stomach growled. Hoping Malena had called them for breakfast, she headed over to the red and white tent. As she walked, the most delicious smells wafted towards her. Her mouth was watering by the time she entered the tent.
Emane was sitting at the table talking to Aleric, while Malena flitted just above the table. Malena noticed her first and broke into a smile, her red lips parting to reveal perfectly tiny white teeth.
Aleric looked up as well, “Good morning Kiora. Hungry?”
Before she could answer, another growl erupted from her stomach. “Ummm, yes,” she said, hurrying to take her place next to Aleric. Pulling her chair in she looked up to find Emane staring at her.
“What?” Kiora asked, wondering if she had something horrible stuck to her face.
He jolted before answering quickly, “Nothing.” His ears turned read as he switched his attention to the back wall.
Before she could push the issue further, the tent flaps opened and the food came in carried by the Guardians. Each one laid their dishes on the table, but before they could eat Malena picked up a small box and flew it over to Kiora.
“This is for you Kiora. A gift from us. We should have given it to you earlier, but it wasn’t quite ready.”
Kiora reached out and took the gift. A simple wooden box with silver hinges on the back side. “What is it?” she asked.
“Open it,” Malena urged.
Kiora looked over to Aleric who smiled and motioned to the box. She nervously lifted the lid. With a slight gasp she covered her mouth with her hand. “Malena, its beautiful!” Inside lay a rather large round sapphire on a bed of green velvet. Reaching in, she ran her finger over the delicate silver vines and leaves that ran around the brilliant blue pendant, a sigh escaping from her lips. A chain slipped through the vines near the top and lay coiled beneath it. Malena flew over and pulled it out of the box. “This pendant is endowed with a special kind of magic,” she said, placing the chain over Kiora’s head. “This will always connect you with us, no matter how far apart we are. If you are in need of our help, for any reason, all you need to do is call.”
Kiora was speechless. It was spectacular. Looking down, she fingered it, watching the blue dance around the facets of the stone. “Thank you” she whispered.
Malena flew in and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you. We had intended to present this to you at a celebration, but things are progressing quicker than we anticipated. And in light of yesterday’s situation, Eleana felt it was important that we be prepared. Now, you all should eat before your breakfast gets cold.”
Kiora slid the pendant under her shirt and tried to blink back a threatening tear.
Aleric smiled broadly, “That is quite a gift, Kiora. Now let’s eat.”
Looking around at the dishes before her she picked out some berries that looked vaguely familiar, they were wrapped in a crust, sugar crystals sprinkled across the top. She spooned something thick and creamy that smelled different, but delicious. And something she had started calling bread, it was as close to bread as she could expect here and infinitely better than the stuff she was used too. Picking up her cup, she took a drink, smiling as the bubbles tickled her tongue. Looking over the rim of her cup she watched as Emane pulled his cup to his lips. He took a drink, nearly choking before looking at his cup in confusion and then cautiously taking another sip. It had scared her half to death the first time she had tried it. The food here was rarely recognizable but considerably better than anything she had eaten at home. She ate until she thought her sides would burst. As she sat back in her chair trying to decide if she could fit just one more bite in, Aleric cleared his throat placing his napkin on the table.
“Kiora, you already know what it is you must be working on. Emane, I will be working with you today.” He stood and waited for the others to do the same, Kiora knew Aleric meant to get down to business.
“Kiora,” Aleric said as she followed him outside, “make sure you read everything carefully. The key to learning this as fast as possible will be concentration. Do not let your mind wander.”
Kiora nodded and headed toward her tent.
“Where would my mind be wandering to?” she wondered aloud.
***
As they left Kiora to work, Aleric lead Emane off in a new direction.
Emane kept glancing back over his shoulder. “Are you sure it’s safe to leave her alone?”
“Quite safe. The Guardians are keeping watch for the Fallen Ones. As long as Kiora stays within the Hollow, she is perfectly protected.”
“Hmmm,” Emane grunted, throwing another glance backwards and tripping on a tree root. Stumbling forward he righted himself, glaring at the offending root before finishing. “She seems to attract trouble doesn’t she?”
Aleric chuckled, “She is bound to, I’m afraid. I am surprised you care so much, considering your first meeting.”
Emane’s ears turned red again. “Well, I said I would protect her, didn’t I?”
“That you did,” he said, turning his head to the side to hide his grin.
Emane rolled his eyes. “What are we working on today?”
“Two things. First we need to help you understand what it is you have agreed to do, and second, we will work on your combat skills.”
Emane looked at him sideways, “You are going to help me work on my combat skills?”
“In a way, but first you must learn not to underestimate magic.”
“I don’t underestimate magic!”
“With all due respect, Emane,” Aleric stopped abruptly, allowing Emane to move in front of him, “you have always underestimated magic.”
Emane swung around, “I have never—”
Aleric abruptly raised his hand, palm out. Emane found himself being picked up in the air and thrown backwards. He landed hard and rolled. Coming up onto his hands and knees he coughed, wiping the dirt from his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
Aleric calmly walked over to him and bent down to take his arm. “Are you hurt?”
Prince Emane jerked his arm out of Aleric’s hand. “What did you do that for?!” he yelled, sitting back on his heels.
“I needed to give you a taste of magic.”
Emane jumped to his feet, brushing himself off. “A taste?! That wasn’t a taste, Aleric. You threw me a good twenty feet!” he yelled, gesturing back to where they had been standing.
“So I did.” Aleric said judging the distance. Giving him cold hard stare he finished, “but yes, Prince, that was just a taste.”
“You can’t be serious!” Emane said, still brushing off his pants.
“Very serious. That is only a hint of what I can do, and nothing compared to what evil will do to you. You were lucky you were dealing with only the Hounds last time.”
“Lucky?! Those things nearly killed us both.”
“Lucky.” Aleric repeated, his blue eyes very serious. “The Hounds are harmless unless they get close enough to bite you. Dralazar does not need to be nearly that close to kill. If you want to survive, you must learn to combat against magic.”
Emane gaped, “How am I supposed to do that?” he finally said, “You didn’t even touch me and you threw me twenty feet in the air.”
“First, you need to learn when to not be stupid.” Aleric said holding up a finger. “There are times when hiding is the only acceptable option. Second, you will need to learn to trust and depend on Kiora. She will be able to fight magic with magic. And finally, you will need to learn to dodge magic. Those with magic can, amongst other skills, throw th
eir magic. It can come out in a visible bolt, more damaging, or as a force that cannot be seen, as you just experienced. That is what we will be working on today.”
“Dodging?” Emane repeated dryly.
“Yes.”Emane brushed his hair off his forehead. “You have got to be kidding.” His hand dropped loosely back to his side.
Aleric held his gaze before answering, “No.”
Emane stared at him incredulously, blood rising in his face. “How can I dodge what I can’t see?”
“You learn how it works and what its limitations are, and you watch for signs,” said Aleric patiently.
Emane clenched his fists before pacing over to the nearest tree and back. “Aleric, why didn’t you already teach me this stuff? We had years of lessons at the castle.”
Aleric contemplated a second before answering. “Prince Emane, your father asked me to teach you what I could. Had you shown more interest in your history lessons, perhaps I would have taken time to teach you more. But, you were always preoccupied with getting down to your combat lessons. I never had much of your attention.” Emane stopped, his shoulders pulled up, hands still fisted at his side. Aleric sighed, “It is regrettable. Had I realized your role in all of this, I may have worked harder to make you understand.”
Emane’s head lowered. It was true. Aleric never really had much of his attention. “I should have listened more.”
Aleric placed his weathered hand on Emane’s shoulder. “Just listen to me now.”
Emane looked into the eyes of his teacher and gave a slow regrettable nod of acknowledgment.
“Come, we have work to do.”
***
Back in the tent Kiora had decided to start with the first lesson, Bubbles. It sounded like it should be interesting
A Bubble is a short term protection against magical detection. The bubble will not only remove you from the sight of others, but also keep any magical threads inside of it trapped. Most bubbles can only be maintained for a short period, no more than an hour. It is perfect for emergencies. A bubble can be made larger or smaller depending on the needs of the person making the bubble. However, the more people under the bubble the more energy it takes to maintain it and therefore the shorter time you have before the bubble lapses and you are again visible to those looking for you. The bubble is made by accessing your magic and envisioning what you would like to have happen. Stay focused and do not lose sight of what it is you are trying to accomplish.