Meridias

  Then the next day they’d practiced using water magic. Angurvadel had had them manipulating the water in a bowl through hoops. Cerra had performed this task the best. She wove the water quickly and elegantly through the hoops earning the praise of everyone there. Angurvadel had also appeared pleased by Cerra’s performance. Elunduil had done moderately well and ended up performing about as well as Tim. Felras had been with them and did fairly well for his first time manipulating magic. Elunduil had then glanced over to Maria and saw that she kept freezing her water. After the class had ended Cerra had talked to Maria for a bit. Elunduil wasn’t certain what had been said but Maria had wound up smiling by the end of it.

  Then the next day was the final element: Fire. There were three stations set up so everyone had had to take turns. This time the objective had been to simply conjure a large enough flame to burn a highly flame-retardant plant. Elunduil waited patiently for his turn. To his disdain he wound up being stuck in line behind Maria. Thankfully she didn’t seem inclined to pester him but he still waited apprehensively for her to do something. Finally two of the people in front of them exhausted their efforts and Elunduil and Maria took their places in front of their respective plants.

  The plants were an ugly green and brown color and were shaped like a vase. There were little brown cones at the end of two large stems that Elunduil could only assume were the seeds. “Hey, Elunduil,” Maria called out. “I bet you I’ll burn mine down!” Elunduil looked at her dubiously. If there’s one element he knew he had good control over it was definitely fire. For a moment he forgot about hiding his previous experience and said, “I doubt it.” Maria appeared to be stunned by his words. Then her expression turned into an annoyed snarl. “So, you think you’re better than me don’t you! I’ll show you!” she said with an angry voice. Elunduil mentally sighed. That lapse in attention had made him look like a jerk. The real problem though was that he knew he could incinerate that plant and probably half a dozen people. Though the latter was something he definitely didn’t want to mention.

  Maria turned to her plant and furiously concentrated. Much to everyone’s surprise a jet of steam shot out of her hands instead of fire and harmlessly doused the plant. “I don’t think that’s going to accomplish much,” Tim commented. Maria looked even more annoyed and tried it again. More steam appeared. There were some chuckles from the others. Now Maria looked really angry. Her eyes narrowed and she stared down the plant with a murderous look in her eyes. She raised her hand with clenched fingers and a small spurt of flame appeared in it. It started growing larger in her palm, and Elunduil could sense that she was pouring large amounts of magical energy into the flames until a roaring inferno emanated from above her palm. With an angry cry she shot the flames at the plant and it caught fire. “Hah! I did it!” she said triumphantly. The flames disappeared and a moderately singed plant stared back at her. “What? But it caught fire...” Maria appeared crestfallen for a moment then grinned. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t think anyone else here can beat that.” She looked over at Elunduil with a smug grin.

  Elunduil shrugged. “Whatever,” he said dully.

  “What, does the poor talented boy not know what to say?” Maria said mockingly. He ignored her and turned to the plant. It was time to put an end to this charade. He pivoted his torso to the left and took a wide stance. His right foot was in front of him and his left foot was behind and supporting him. He drew his right hand up to his left side and behind his head. “Oooh he’s trying to make a cool pose.” Maria mocked. Elunduil felt the world slow down. He felt the roaring inferno of fire in his mind, the playfulness, warmth, and comfort that the light of a fire could bring. He felt the wrath, the destruction, and the unrelenting spirit of those who refuse to quit. “This... is fire,” Elunduil said. Flames shot up, appearing to engulf the upper half of Elunduil’s right arm. Several people let out fearful cries and attempted to intervene but Angurvadal stopped them. The fire wasn’t actually touching Elunduil it was merely flowing very closely to his arm, and he wasn’t hot because he was making the emitted heat disperse away from himself. He drew the arm back further and the fire roared higher with flame-like tendrils licking the air behind him. He waved the arm towards the plant and unleashed the fire upon it. When the fire came into contact with the plant Elunduil gestured upwards with his arm. The flames took the form of four petals. He closed his hands and the petals closed around the plant, engulfing it. The only thing that remained afterwards was a charred husk.

  “That... that was... a flower of fire?” Maria said in disbelief.

  “A small one,” Elunduil retorted apathetically. Maria appeared at a loss for words and retreated into the crowd. The others appeared amazed and even Tim and Cerra seemed surprised though probably because he’d showed off his signature spell. Elunduil sighed in relief. He realized that he’d actually been growing tired of restraining his abilities when he knew he was capable more. Plus it felt good to control fire like that again. He was miffed at when he learned such control and understanding of fire. He felt as though he still lacked total understanding of the element but couldn’t place why.

  The class proceeded normally after Elunduil and Maria’s “battle” and there was one guy who ended up lobbing a ball of lava at his plant. Angruvadel quickly removed the lava before any serious damage could be done and sternly warned the teen but praised his results as the plant had been completely vaporized. Now with two plants down only one remained for the last few students so progress was slower. Tim managed to lob a good-sized fireball at the plant. Cerra struggled to make a decent enough sized flame but she managed to get one in the end. Felras was the last one to go and he unleashed a torrent of flame from his hands that left scorch marks on the plant. “Nice!” Tim said when Felras came back. He held up a hand and gave Felras a hi-five. Felras smiled wryly and took his place with the group.

  Angurvadel moved to the head of the class to address everyone like he did at the end of every session. “For those of you who have been here every day you have now practiced using all four of the main elements. I’m sure many of you remember that I said there were five elements however the fifth element, Aether, is elusive. Not even I with all my knowledge can use Aether so we will be unable to touch on this subject. However, I am pleased with the potential each one of you show which brings me to my next topic.” Elunduil wondered if Angurvadel was going to talk about testing their elemental affinities and orientation, whatever those terms meant. After all several days had passed since the elder had brought up the subject. “For those of you that are here tomorrow I will be conducting a test to find out your elemental affinities and orientation. I’m sure that you’ve all noticed that you seem to have a better innate grasp of one of the elements over the others. This has a lot to do with your affinities, but even more so with your orientation. I will go into greater detail about this tomorrow but for now I think I will leave you with something to think about.”

  There were excited whispers throughout the room as people began to leave. Elunduil turned to Cerra. “Have you done this test before?” he asked as they made their way out of the room. “Oh yes many years ago. My affinities are water and ice and my orientation is water,” she said. “What exactly does that mean? What’s the difference between affinity and orientation?” Tim asked. Cerra’s musical laughter filled the air. “Don’t worry Angurvadel will go into lengthy detail about that tomorrow.” Elunduil and Tim nodded. Elunduil paused at the threshold of the entry and glanced back. He saw Maria still standing there in a stupor and considered going to her but didn’t know what to say to her. He gave up and followed the others out of the room.

  Maria replayed the scene in her head again and again. That Elunduil had completely defeated her best efforts. But how? He’d only been here for as long as she had. Was he really that much more talented than her? He had been at a higher level than everyone else in the transport on the first day. He also seemed to have a higher reservoir of energy when using magic as he rarely seemed tir
ed unlike herself. That didn’t bother her as much as the way he’d looked when the fire had engulfed the upper half of his arm. He’d looked completely calm and certain of himself, and the way he’d controlled the flames was... ridiculous. Only Cerra came close to that level of control and she was an elf. Cerra had years of experience on Elunduil, yet he looked like he’d had the same level of control as she did when they’d only been here for a few days! She just couldn’t understand what was so different about him that allowed him to learn magic so easily.

  “What troubles you child?” Angurvadel’s voice startled Maria out of her reverie. She stared back at the elder in shock and looked around. Everyone else had left. “I... just... how does he do it?” Her face held emotions of anguish and despair. “Elunduil just makes everything look so easy, yet we’ve only been here for a few days...” Angurvadel nodded in understanding and he put a hand on Maria’s shoulder in comfort and in a kind voice said, “I think it would be wise not to compare others to Elunduil. He has unusual intuitive abilities when it comes to using magic though there are others like him in Tellia Armon. You show great potential and with proper training and time magic will come to you just as easily.” Maria was shocked by the elder’s words. He thought that she had great potential? She felt grateful that the elder thought she was a worthwhile student.

  “Th-thank you!” she stammered. The elder smiled warmly.

  “No, I should thank you for the privilege of teaching such a promising young lady,” the elder said. Maria blushed. She was glad that Daniel and Dave had dragged her to this virtual world. The people here seemed to genuinely care about her problems. Unlike her parents who only seemed to care about themselves and their own petty problems. She said good-bye to Angurvadel and made her way to the exit. “You should try sensing Elunduil when he uses magic. I’m sure you’ll notice something,” Angurvadel called out from behind her. Maria turned back to look at him. Sense Elunduil when he’s using magic? What would she sense? The elder offered no further explanation and Maria decided he was testing her abilities. She turned and walked out the door with a confident smile. She’d show Angurvadel what she was made of.

  Elunduil, Cerra, Tim, and Felras met up with Sean and Tanis as they came out of the room where they trained with Galimere and then went to Cooper’s house to get Alicia. “Hey, Alicia I think you’ll want to be with us tomorrow!” Tim said excitedly when they got inside Cooper’s home. “Why?” she asked with an amused expression.

  “Angurvadel is going to be doing the test to find out your elemental affinities and orientation. Every magic user should find out what theirs are,” Cooper explained. Everyone turned to look at him. “Yes, Angurvadel has made me aware of the test. After all young Alicia here is under my wing.” Alicia chuckled. The group said farewell to Cooper, and then to Cerra when they got on the transport back to Ragnarok. They speculated as to what the test could be during the journey back and up until the point they were back on Earth and their parents had come to take them home.

  ***

  Joel had spent the last several days in a sour mood. He’d just gotten done taking his shower and had all intent to simply turn in and wait for the next day, but as he neared the barracks tent he smelled something delicious. He sniffed the air and followed the scent around to the other side of the tent and saw Revais, whom he referred to as the Frenchman, with a small cooking plate and a bag of ingredients spread out next to him.

  Revais was carefully tipping over some kind of batter onto the cooking plate. “Good evening, sir!” he said eloquently as he noticed Joel’s presence. “Would you care to dine with us tonight? I’m making crepes!” Joel was a little confused.

  “What the heck is a crepe?” he asked. Revais chuckled elegantly.

  “It is similar to a pancake. The ingredients are virtually identical. However, crepes don’t have a rising agent and therefore aren’t as… fluffy as a pancake. A crepe is quite thin and is typically rolled up or folded over and filled with all manner of fruits or spreads. It really is a matter of preference.” Joel nodded in understanding. He eyed the cooking plate as Revais took his spatula and flipped the crepe over. Less than a minute later he removed the crepe and put it onto a small blue plastic plate. He poured more of the batter onto the cooking plate and repeated the process several times. It only took a few minutes to use all the batter as the crepes cooked quickly. “Now then if you’ll give me a minute I’ll bring this inside with some delectable fillings.” Revais said while shooing Joel towards the tent.

  Joel obliged and went inside to find the others lounging about. James looked up from the card game he was playing with Kali, Lucas, and Bryce. “Are they done?” he asked. Joel nodded and Bryce grinned from ear to ear. “Excellent! You’re in for a real treat! Revais is a fantastic cook!” he said. Joel sat down on his sleeping bag as the others talked excitedly about the food that was on its way. A short time later the flap of the tent opened and Revais entered the tent. The crepes had been rolled up and Joel made out a dark brown spread in between the rolls and felt his mouth watering from the smell. Everyone in the tent made a beeline for the plate as Revais placed it in the middle of the tent.

  Joel hung back a bit as the others grabbed their meal and returned to their places. “Come now don’t be shy Joel!” Revais said encouragingly. Joel grunted and stepped up to the plate. He grabbed one of the crepes and took a bite. His tongue was assailed by a sweet flavor that melted in his mouth. “Wow, these are really good!” Joel exclaimed. Revais chuckled.

  “Thank you for your kind words, but this is quite a simple dish,” he replied modestly. Joel didn’t care if it was easy all that mattered was that they were good. The tent flap opened and Ashblade and Draxus stepped in. Everyone dropped what they were doing and stood at attention. “I knew I smelled something,” Ashblade said as he gazed at the half empty plate of crepes. He walked up to the plate, reached down, and took a sniff. He then took a bite of the crepe and gazed around the tent as he swallowed. “Who made these?” he asked sternly.

  “I did sir! Are they to your liking?” Revais said without fear. Ashblade stared at Revais for several long moments as everyone else looked on with bated breath. “Fine work! I don’t know what other food you’re capable of making but it’s better than rations every day of the week!” Ashblade ate the rest of the crepe in his hand and Revais saluted him. Draxus grabbed a crepe itself and nodded satisfactorily after he took a bite. “Delicious!” He commented with a nod to Revais. Ashblade and Draxus left the tent afterwards and there was a collective sigh.

  “I totally thought you were about to get it!” James said with a wide grin. Revais shrugged. “I’m not exactly breaking any rules. Like the Sergeant said eating rations can get tiresome after a while.” There was a chuckle in the tent and everyone went back to what they were doing. Joel sat down and stared at the others. He felt like some of the stress that had been building up the last couple of days had been lifted off his shoulders. “You seem to be in better spirits,” Revais said as he sat down on the sleeping bag next to Joel. “Hah, yeah a good meal helps!” he replied earnestly. Revais chuckled.

  “I had hoped your mood would improve. Unlike the rest of us you aren’t used to this kind of rigorous training. I could see it wearing on you.” Joel wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He was happy to hear that the Frenchman was, in his own way, trying to help him feel better. “Yeah, I hate being beat all the time. It’s just frustrating you know?” he said emphatically. Revais agreed. “Well I’m happy to be of service. Just let me know if you need any guidance and I’ll be happy to help!” Revais stood up and joined the card game. Joel swiped another of the crepes and eagerly gobbled it down. That night when he did finally drift off to sleep he felt less irritated than he had in a while.

  When Joel woke up the next morning he felt like his spirit had been refreshed and eagerly joined the others in the morning exercises. After their morning routine there were a couple chores that they were assigned to take care of. Joel went with Bryce to
the weapon tent and spent time taking apart the guns and cleaning them before reassembling them. Joel fumbled several times but Bryce was patient and helped make sure that Joel did everything properly.

  A couple hours into the cleaning they heard laughter coming from outside. “Let’s take a break,” Bryce suggested. Joel shrugged and followed the other man as he opened the tent flap to reveal scorching desert sun. As they peered out they saw James and Lucas messing around with each other by the shower tent. As they were messing around Lucas tried to trip James but instead he caught his foot awkwardly in the sand and wound up tumbling into the side of the shower tent and knocked a bucket over. James laughed loudly and slapped his knees at the other man’s folly.

  As Lucas got up a shadow fell over him. He looked up to see Kali staring down at him with an angry gaze and a mop in hand. She had been assigned to clean the shower tent. “So, tell me boys would you prefer to die now or tonight when you’re asleep?” she asked coolly. Lucas shuffled to his feet.

  “It was a complete accident we weren’t up to anything!” he said hastily as he stepped back. “I was just trying to knock James over!” Kali snorted derisively.

  “All right then now it is!” she said and pulled out a hand gun. James and Lucas took off running and Kali fired a shot at the ground. Ashblade pulled back the flap from his tent to see what was going on. “Serves them right,” he said as he saw James and Lucas running off and Kali staring after them. A short moment later Kali burst into laughter. “I wish I had a camera! The looks on their faces was priceless,” she said breathless from laughter. Joel looked to Bryce who shrugged. “Women are crazy,” he murmured and went back into the tent. Joel silently agreed and followed him back inside.