“I am not entirely sure, but I think that you have an idea.” The man smirked again and held his hands up between the two of them.
“It would be easier if I show you.” The man focused while Em’risi watched his energy swirl between his hands. A light breeze fluttered a few loose strands of hair into her eyes. As she slipped them back over her ear, she saw a thin fog forming between the man’s hands. A moment later, the white and blue lights polarized before arcing together again with a visible flash of light accompanied by the sound of a whip cracking in the air.
“A stormdancer!” Em’risi delightedly explained.
“What? No ancient mumbo jumbo?” The man looked disappointed as he let the fog dissipate.
“There was an ancient Dragon Lord that took on the name of Storm Queen, but I doubt that you want to be called that. They weren’t really limited in their Gifts like we are, but they chose a name that corresponded with their strongest abilities. Your abilities seem to be similar except on a smaller scale.”
“Smaller scale. Humph. By the way, my name is Savaro.”
“Savaro… that is an interesting name. It means blade in the ancient tongue. Is that enough mumbo jumbo? As soon as Alvin is done with you, I want you to practice doing more than a little fog and light. Let me know if you need any help with that.”
“How do you think you can help me develop my abilities if you didn’t even know what my power is?” Savaro ignored Em’risi’s dismissal.
“Your colors are gray, blue and white. Your storm abilities seem to be a combination of your blue and white energy while I believe that you also have limited abilities like Alvin. I saw how your energy worked when you used it and can help you understand it better. More essentially, you were able to create a small arc by opposing the blue and white energy. You can probably generate larger sparks or even lightning bolts if you practice. Go ahead and select the weapon that will best suit you with Alvin.” Savaro had lost his smirk and now looked at her with a small degree of respect other than that which he accorded to her rank.
“I was speaking with Carlisle and unless I am like him, then I think that there was a mistake. I am not trying to argue my lady, but I have never been able to do anything special.” Em’risi could see an element of hope but wasn’t sure how the slight soldier was applying it.
“Call me Em’risi or Princess, but not both or my lady. Your gift is entirely different from Carlisle’s. His is hard even for me to sense, but yours is like a star in a dark sky. I can see light beams radiating from you. It is sort of like the halo a candle casts around it in a dense fog, except there is no candle.”
“So I glow? What does that mean?”
“First, I would like your name.”
“The guys call me Igarlin. Most just call me Iggy.”
“Iggy it is, if you don’t mind. I would call it a glimmer rather than a glow. I think you can manipulate light if you were to focus. To test this, I want you to hold your hands like this and focus on the space between them.” Em’risi watched as Igarlin complied with her request by holding his hands a few inches apart with the palms facing each other. There was a slight shift in the light patterns as Iggy screwed his face up in concentration. The random light patterns began to align and intensify towards the point between his hands.
“I can’t feel anything.” Em’risi remembered to breathe as Igarlin broke his concentration.
“You were doing it. Just keep moving your energy towards that spot. If it helps, try to picture something there.” Igarlin tried again, with a little more control this time. The lights intensified at his fingertips before streamers twisted out and began coalescing into a glowing ball of light. It warped and twisted with the lapses in his concentration until Igarlin opened his eyes again. There was a shocked look on his face an instant before the ball of light flashed bright enough to cause Em’risi to avert her eyes. Something thudded to the table top and Igarlin looked blanched by the time her eyes had adjusted to the dim light the sun shed.
“I think I need to sit down now.” Igarlin barely whispered before falling backwards off the bench he had been sitting on. On the tabletop was an irregular sphere of glassy rock about the size of an egg that still flickered with flashes of Iggy’s energy.
“What happened?” Alvin lifted Igarlin and laid him on a nearby bench.
“He accidently overexerted himself. I didn’t know it was possible to create physical matter with your energy.” Em’risi touched the glassy rock and watched it turn to dust starting at the spot that she had touched until the entire thing had been reduced to a small pile of dust that was rapidly disappearing, as if by evaporation.
“I have never heard of it either. Will he be all right?”
“He is just exhausted. He will be fine when his energy recovers. It may take a few hours and there shouldn’t be any permanent side effects.” Em’risi placed a folded cloth under Igarlin’s head to make him a little more comfortable.
“If that is all he can do… I am not sure how useful he can be.” Alvin looked the senseless Igarlin over with a critical eye.
“From what I have seen, using your energy causes it to grow in strength. He should be able to do more when he wakes up.” Em’risi examined Igarlin one more time before returning to her seat. Alvin made sure to replace the bench for a seat that had a back on it before she called over her next subject.
“I am Lesarovich, but my friends just call me Rovi.”
“Am I enough of a friend to call you Rovi?” Em’risi smirked slightly as Lesarovich reddened.
“You are the Princess. You can call me whatever you want… I think it would be easier if I just show you.” Em’risi was about to comment on the abrupt topic change when she saw Lesarovich’s yellowish energy flash out and engulf a small bird that had been flying overhead. The bird dipped down and landed on the table in front of them where it proceeded to strut around a few seconds before Lesarovich’s energy released the bird. It took a moment to glance around before taking off and returning to its original flight.
“So you are a tamer?” Em’risi recalled how Aleest’s energy had only formed a connection with the animals instead of engulfing it.
“What is a tamer?”
“A tamer is able to speak with animals and control them. A friend of mine is a tamer and is able to influence any animal that he comes across. If he could, I bet he would have a whole pack of wolves, bears, horses, eagles and all sorts of other animals following him around all the time.” Em’risi realized that it had been more than a month since she had seen or heard of Aleest and that she missed confiding in him and finding out what horses thought of her troubles. It could be refreshing to hear how her troubles and small victories compared with a nice bunch of lush spring grass.
“I can’t speak with them. I can just use them. They don’t seem to notice after I’m done and I can only do it with one animal at a time. While it is happening, I can see and hear everything that the animal does. I call it skin walking.”
“Interesting. That is definitely different than my friend’s Gift.”
“Really?”
“I never tell people that something is interesting if I don’t actually think that it is because if it isn’t, people tend to mistake that word for encouragement. How far away can you use your ability?”
“About twenty or thirty paces. I can control bigger animals farther than I can smaller animals, although nothing really smaller than that bird I brought down.”
“Increasing your range might be something worth working on.”
“How would you suggest doing that?”
“Well now that you ask, there is a flock of gulls that sit on the Sea Fort roof all the time. You could go up there when Alvin is done with you and practice flying them out over the water until you reach your limit.” Lesarovich thought for a moment before shrugging and returning to his weapons practice with Alvin.
“How about you?” Em’risi had to catch the attention of a thin lad that was studiously inspecting a blun
ted pole arm.
“Who? Me?” Em’risi flinched as a flair of red and yellow energy swirled around the young man who was looking over his shoulder in the hopes that she was addressing someone else.
“Yes I mean you and don’t you dare tell me that you aren’t Gifted. Take a seat please.” Em’risi directed the lad to the chair and waited a few seconds for him to respond. Hindsight told her that her impatient tone had made him even more nervous. “We can start with your name.”
“Yes mam. Princess. I meant Princess.”
“I still don’t know your name.”
“Oh! Sorry. I am Halden.”
“No need to be sorry or afraid for that matter. I won’t intentionally hurt you. How about telling me what you can do?”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Halden nearly knocked over the table as he tried to cross his arms while still holding on to the pole arm. After dropping the pole arm, he righted the table and crossed his arms.
“I can step back if you would feel more comfortable.” Em’risi stood, but had to quickly step out of the way. Halden had hastily jumped to his feet and tipped the table over clumsily.
“I’m so sorry.” Halden tripped over the chair he had been sitting in as he attempted to right the table.
“Relax Halden, I just want you to show me what you can do.”
“I don’t have any other clothes.”
“I’m sure that can be taken care of.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“Yes, I am sure. Go ahead.” This time remaining placid took a concentrated effort.
“Why don’t I just tell you about what I can do?”
“After this much trouble, I think I want to see what you can do.” Em’risi crossed her arms in a way that most men noticed and obeyed immediately after noticing.
“I will need a lit candle to show you that I’m fireproof.”
“I doubt that you need a lit candle or that being fireproof is the only thing that you can do. Try picturing your hand on fire.” Em’risi picked up her chair and set it a few paces away from Halden before sitting down.
“What would that accomplish?” Halden crossed his arms before uncrossing them and uncertainty hanging them at his sides.
“Just do it, please? I am curious what might happen.” Em’risi crossed her arms again. Halden held one hand up in front of his face and looked at it a few seconds before looking back at Em’risi. She could see the yellow and red light emerging and twisting around his hand and was about to encourage him when there was a flash of light and flames angrily twisted from his fingers.
“Ahhh!” Em’risi could hardly refrain from laughing as Halden jumped around waving his hand in an attempt to put the fire out. A few moments was all it took for his clothes to catch flame. It was only when he accidently tripped into an alarmed Carlisle that the flames suddenly disappeared.
“Halden, after Alvin gets you some more clothes, we will have to work on your control. Also, I believe that Carlisle should be your sparring partner. For that matter I think Carlisle should also be your bunk mate.” A few minutes later, Alvin returned to the courtyard while shaking his head.
“You sure have your work cut out for you. Jumpy as a grasshopper and able to shoot fire out of his fingers. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“He lacks control, but I sense great potential. Carlisle’s Gift seems to be able to dampen anyone’s energy rather than just your own. It was almost like he threw a bucket of water on it.”
“You said that you couldn’t see him clearly so perhaps he is also affecting your Gift.” Alvin rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.
“Perhaps. Who is next?” Em’risi glanced around the courtyard at the men sparring enthusiastically.
“Well… There are only a couple left. You could do that one next. Have fun with him. Something about him just puts me on edge. Can’t shake the feeling that we should send him back to the ranks.” Alvin pondered the man who was wielding a straight sword with a certain degree of skill. Better than most the others on the courtyard. Em’risi gave Alvin a curious glance. She could see no reason for sending the man back to the ranks from a martial standpoint. His energy was dim, wispy and seemed drawn to other people, but she couldn’t discern any effect that it might be having.
“Send him over as soon as I get the table and chairs set back in place.”
“My Princess, please. Corman! Set the chairs back at the table.” Alvin looked uncomfortable as Em’risi rolled her eyes at him.
“I am a princess. Not made of glass or porcelain. There is no need to treat me as such.”
“Ah my lady, but your delicate beauty doth compel us miserable beings, unworthy of your smile, to spare your hand the labors that another can perform, albeit with far less grace.” Alvin blushed a shade of red after his oration and took a great deal of interest in how his armor fit.
“Why Alvin, I will yet make a poet of you.” Alvin took the opportunity to test the fit of his cowl and moved off to assist Varis in performing a maneuver with his short swords.
“Anything else that I can do for you Princess?”
“Corman was it? You can take a seat please.”
“Of course.” Em’risi began her customary observation of Corman’s energy. It was a difficult color to define. Somewhere between the color of ash and the light airy yellow that had been the basis for Varis’ colors. Not quite a gray similar to Alvin’s color, but not the same as Varis’ either. She could sense the strength of the energy, except it was dim like it was being intentionally hidden. It was still drifting around like fog in random directions, although she noticed that it was acting as if repelled from her person. Em’risi returned to her normal senses when she saw Corman nervously fidgeting.
“I’m sorry for staring at you like that. I was trying to observe your energy better.”
“It wasn’t that. Your telling me that I was Gifted explained a few things, but there is something about you that I can’t put my finger on. Usually I can just look at people for a minute to figure them out, except… there is something different about you. I have no idea what you want or how I can change your mind. No offence intended.”
“No offence taken. I rather consider it a compliment that you find me difficult to sway. Can I try something?” Em’risi cast a glance at Varis who seemed to be fine after his incident with her last experiment.
“Of course.”
“Just be ready for anything. I don’t know what might happen.”
“All right.” Corman braced in anticipation. Em’risi focused on his energy again and moved her hand to intercept a strand that was lazily floating by. At first it moved away like a hair that had acquired too much of a charge. When she finally caught it, the stand of energy twirled around her fingers. Something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. It looked like a shadow, but there was nothing there when she looked. Again, something caught her attention at her other peripheral. A silhouette of a figure and a raised fist. Whispers tugged at her mind. Insinuations that Corman’s Gift was relatively worthless, that he should be allowed to return to his company. Flashes at the corners of her vision intimated danger in some form. Em’risi shook the clinging energy off her fingers as she realized what Alvin had been thinking.
“Stop it right now. You have a valuable Gift. You won’t be returning to the regular ranks unless you make the request yourself and even then, I am not inclined to approve the transfer.”
“I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong?”
“Not intentionally. You think that you don’t have a useful Gift and that you aren’t a good enough swordsman to merit a place here on those grounds alone. Am I right?” Em’risi calmly looked Corman in the eye until he looked at his hands.
“How did you know that? They were telling me that you can’t read minds.”
“I can’t, but I was able to figure out that you are planting those thoughts in everyone around you. You are one of the best straight blade swordsman th
at I have seen, barring Alvin, but you made him think that you were hardly able to hold the blade. If you learn to use your gift, it could be invaluable in battle because you can also cause people to see things.”
“Really? I couldn’t really figure out what good being able to understand people might be with this group.”
“That is what you have to stop. People begin to think that when you think that way. The way I see it, you aren’t figuring out people so much as planting ideas and making them predictable.”
“So if I were to think that I am invincible, I could challenge Alvin to a duel and defeat him?” Corman shrewdly looked Alvin over from the other side of the courtyard.
“Not quite. He would still be able to duel; however, he might overestimate your skill. You would probably be better off convincing him that you aren’t as skilled as you are. You might be able to anticipate that he will make a particular move because doing so might cause him to follow suit. It will take a bit of practice to control it completely. You could also even make him see things that aren’t there.”
“Seeing things that aren’t there? Like what?” Corman inquired with an incredulous expression.
“When I was touching your energy, I saw shadows and silhouettes in my peripheral vision.”
“Can I try something?”
“I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t.” Em’risi waited for Corman’s energy to move towards her and was surprised to see it start moving across the courtyard. It eventually found Alvin who twitched irritably and glanced over at the two of them. A moment later he glanced over his shoulder then back the other direction. Em’risi was about to comment on Corman’s success when Alvin suddenly drew a knife hidden in his sleeve and flung it at that wall. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at the knife half buried in the stonework.
“I swear that I saw an assassin with a dagger running towards you.” Alvin himself was staring at the knife in the wall. Shaking his head he scowled and began scanning the men assembled. “All right, who did that?! Varis!”
“It wasn’t me! I was busy over here, besides my head still hurts too much to try anything.” Varis protested his innocence under Alvin’s withering glare. He was soon distracted by Em’risi’s attempt at stifling a giggle.
Chronicles of Den'dra: A land on Fire Page 22