by Zora Marie
“Hm. Nice choice in peace offering.” Bête Noire spoke around the apple in his mouth. “So, why are you really out here?”
“Oh, not you, too.”
“So, you’re here for a distraction, are you?” He nuzzled her cheek before taking the other half of the apple. “Hm. I’d offer to take you for a ride, but this place is packed compared to the last time we were here.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“Well, there’s that and the fact that Donequen is staring at us.”
Zelia glanced over her shoulder, to find that Donequen was in fact leaning against the fence, staring at her.
“Go on. I have more trouble to stir up anyway.”
“I hope you’re not getting anyone else pregnant right now.”
“Me? Never.” Bête Noire brayed and nudged her towards the fence. “Off with you.”
Zelia waved Bête Noire off and headed for the fence.
“Is there a reason you took off right as Vainoff opened his mouth?”
Zelia sighed and climbed the fence. “What happened to my quiet, kind stable boy?”
Donequen grinned at her. “Grono happened, that’s what.”
“Oh no. You can’t blame him for all of this. You’ve been more outgoing ever since Zivu sent you here.” Donequen’s smile faltered and Zelia wondered if she’d struck a nerve. “Sorry, if I—”
“It’s alright. I told you about my elemental magic, but not the fact that I’m not very talented at it and spells are seen as a crutch on Hyperia.”
“Well that explains why the Jophlin boys called me a witch like it was an insult.”
“You crossed paths with the Jophlin boys? You never told me about that.”
Zelia linked her elbow with his. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear, Barg and the others tried to make it the talk of the town.”
“Of course, they did. There’s a reason I like Tregar more than the others, he’s not much for all the drama.”
“Yet you’re friends with me, and I seem to always be at the heart of the drama.”
“Yes, well, I’ve made an exception for you and the others. Except for Lucky.”
“You know, I think his boisterous personality is just a way of hiding the hurt.”
“Still. I don’t like how he flirts with you and Linithion all the time.”
“That’s just his way of trying to help us through all this. Keep in mind that his chest did get rather crushed in Coridale.”
Donequen sighed. “You’re right, I just wish he’d find a different way to pull you and Linithion out of that funk you two keep sinking into.”
“So, why exactly did you follow me out here?”
“Because Eadon asked if I would teach you today. It was either me or Linithion and seeing as how she’s been helping with housing, healing, and general chaos, that left you with me.”
“Did he tell you why I need someone besides Vainoff to teach me?”
“No, but you don’t need to explain.”
“You already noticed, didn’t you?”
“You tense up around him. He reminds you a lot of the others, doesn’t he?”
Zelia nodded. “I spent so many years afraid of them that I don’t think I’ll ever truly shake that fear.”
“Hm. Shame. I guess there will be no wizard robes for me and the others. I so loved the flowing sweep of their clothes.” Donequen swept his free hand out behind him and fluttered his lashes.
Zelia laughed. “Can you say and do that again for Vainoff? Perhaps laughing at him sputter over a retort would help my fears.”
“If it would help, I’d try it, but I’m pretty sure you really just want me to do that in front of Lucky and Jones.”
“Well that would be entertaining, too.”
They entered the house then and Donequen paused. “So, where have you hidden away your copy of the book? I’ll help you make markers for the more useful spells.”
“It’s in my room. We can meet in the study Barg was storytelling in this morning.”
“In that case, I’ll grab snacks and meet you there.”
Zelia lingered in her room. She was tempted to cover every open surface in those little glass sculptures of Linithion’s right then. No. They’ll bring her more joy when the fighting is done. She didn’t like keeping them or what was bothering her from her soulmate, but they were both struggling enough without her adding more guilt and worry to Linithion’s plate.
There was still so much at stake and so many unknowns that she floundered in the uncertainty of it all. One thing at a time. She made herself stop and breathe. Then she picked up her spell book and headed for the study down the hall.
Donequen already sat at the round table, his massive copy of the spell book before him. His lips pursed as he glanced between his copy and hers. “Either yours is missing a lot of stuff, or you didn’t get a copy written for an old man to read.”
She huffed a laugh. “Hm. Who knows, perhaps it is a bit of both.” She plopped her book down on the table and plucked a handful of nuts from the bowl Donequen had set in the space between the chairs. “Something tells me studying with you will be far more entertaining than what Lucky and Jones are going through.”
“Careful. We wouldn’t want Vainoff to lose all of his students. It’s not like he gets them very often seeing as how Kilian seems to have been his last.”
“True. So, where are we starting?”
“Well. First off, how much of this stuff did you already know?”
Not much. She frowned and Donequen laughed.
“The beginning it is then, minus the histories since that’s just boring information.”
“Great.” She sank down into the chair next to him.
“And…” Donequen flicked his wrist and a sphere of water formed, then froze in his hand. He plunged a hand into the sphere, his arm disappearing up to the elbow as he searched for something within. He smiled a little as he withdrew a leather bound notebook. “I always took notes, so this will help you get the foundation of what each syllable of the spells mean. Ignore the crappy writing at the beginning, I started my lessons when I was rather young.”
“No worries, I’m sure my handwriting will be far worse whenever I get around to retraining my hands to write.” Zelia flipped the notebook open and was amused at what Donequen considered crappy writing. Sure, it wasn’t the refined strokes of someone like Eadon, but it was clean and easy to read nonetheless. She couldn’t resist the urge to see what his more recent writing was like as she flipped to the back of the book. That writing was immaculate. “You know, none of this is what I would consider crappy writing. You should see some of my early handwriting. I’m sure Eadon kept some somewhere, he is the sentimental type.”
Donequen smiled a little, but it was quiet and reserved—perhaps even a bit sad. He pulled his spell book closer to him, flipped it open and pointed to the name of the spell. “Find this one in your book.”
And so they began, with Donequen teaching her enough to use a couple of the simple defense spells. He would pause and show her what the spell actually looked like when performed since she couldn’t do them without a power stone.
After what felt like an extraordinarily short amount of time, a figure appeared in the doorway. “I take it that it’s that time then?” Donequen asked.
Koin leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed. “It is. Though I believe I haven’t seen you practice your sword fighting since Coridale.”
Donequen heaved a sigh and closed his spell book. “I suppose that’s a request for me to join you?”
Amusement danced in Koin’s eyes. “For a little while, at least. If you’ll be fighting with my girls, I want to make sure you’re prepared to stand beside them.”
“I do believe I held my own with the Fenari.”
“With magic.”
“Hm. Fair enough. I’ll be down once I lug this thing back to my room.” Donequen dragged his book off the table and headed for the door. “You can hold onto the note
book for now, Zelia.”
“Thank you.”
Koin stepped into the room as he let Donequen leave. “Ready for some sparring?”
“I guess.” Zelia picked up her spell book and the notebook before heading for the door.
“Oh, don’t sound so enthusiastic. You are doing much better than you did the first time you trained for swords.”
“Well that doesn’t take much since I nearly stabbed myself tripping over my own feet all those years ago.”
Koin stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “You are doing well, Zelia. You may not be as fast or as precise as you were at The Hold, but you’re improving faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. Have patience with yourself.”
Zelia opened her mouth to argue that she didn’t have time for patience, but thought better of it. “I’ll be right down.”
“Alright.” Koin gave her shoulder a light squeeze before he let go.
She made a point not to linger in her room this time and was the first to make it to the field. Most of the dragons were gone, likely fishing for lunch, but Raven was there. “Good— is it morning or afternoon now?”
Raven chuckled down the bond. “I believe it is afternoon, but just barely. I take it that magic lessons went better this morning.”
“Yes.” She sighed.
“Hey. There is no shame in needing to work with someone else.” Raven nuzzled Zelia up against her neck, her wing brushing against Zelia’s back in a hug.
“Thanks.” Zelia scratched the spot just behind Raven’s jaw, where all the dragons seemed to have issues with loose scales getting stuck. There were no loose scales this time, still Raven purred as Zelia’s hand glided over the scales there.
“Hm. As much as I’d like you to do that all day, Koin and Donequen are waiting for you now.”
Zelia leaned into Raven’s warmth for a moment longer. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now go on.” Raven’s wing moved away from Zelia’s back and Raven raised her head. “I’m off to fish. Let me know if you need me.” Raven turned and took off into the air, leaving Zelia exposed to Koin and Donequen’s stares. She watched Raven disappear over the treetops before turning to face the pair.
25
Zelia went through her warmups as Donequen and Koin sparred. It was still surprising to see how well her friend fought with a sword. Perhaps it made her a poor friend to have taken him at face value as a stable boy. He wasn’t as skilled as Koin or Loboran, but he held his own well enough that Koin didn’t have time to give Lucky and Jones instructions as they joined them in the field.
“Dang. Donequen is good.” Lucky nodded his approval, his gaze tracking their every move.
“Well, he probably has four hundred years of training on you. Want to spar while we wait for them?”
“Oh sure, I should fight the other one that has four hundred years on me.” Lucky grinned as he picked a short sword from those lined up against the fence.
“Just be glad I’m not as fast or precise as I used to be.” Zelia slid her feet into a defensive stance. She deflected his first few strikes, then made her own. Instead of deflecting as she had, he blocked and easily held his sword against her. “Or as strong as I used to be.” She pressed into him until he began to lean forward, then she slid out of the way and caught his foot with hers.
He stumbled forward a step, but regained his footing easy enough. “Well that wasn’t very nice.”
“Yes, well, no one is nice in battle. And when you’re not as strong as your opponent…” Zelia shrugged and deflected his next strike. “Though I do know you’re holding back, or neither of us would still be talking.”
“Oh, is that so?” Lucky’s strikes came faster and with a bit more force then.
As they fought, Zelia noted where his blows shook her more than necessary as she didn’t deflect with her blade at the correct angle. She also noted openings that she could have taken advantage of, if she was as fast as she’d once been. What if I fight left-handed?
She grinned and Lucky’s brows narrowed for just a moment. She took that moment of distraction to swap the sword to her left hand. Then they were at it again, those openings he’d left widened as he struggled to adjust to a left-handed opponent. Zelia had never been as good with her left as she had been with her right, but in this body, both sides were in about the same place physically.
The perfect opening presented itself and she took it. At the last moment, she pulled her blow into a light tap against his chest. “You’re dead.”
“Apparently. I didn’t know you could fight left-handed.”
“We all train with both, in case one arm or hand gets injured,” Koin said and picked up a second sword. “Plus, it’s easier to fight two opponents with two swords.”
“Tregar trained me to do the same,” Donequen said.
“Well, Tregar did a fine job training you. You don’t have the finesse that comes with age, but you’re skilled.”
Donequen blushed a little and Zelia couldn’t help but smile, even as she thought back to the first compliment she’d received after being freed from Asenten. Dain had complemented her beauty and had saddened at the realization that she hadn’t been complimented in ages. Now it felt like it had been ages since that had happened.
The ground shook slightly as Grono landed near them in the field. He huffed out a long breath towards Donequen. “Hm. We’ll have to work on that. Can’t have him blushing all over the place.” Grono glanced towards her, as though to say he expected her help.
“I think it’s kind of cute.”
Grono rolled his eyes.
“You want to practice maneuvers again?” Donequen asked.
“Of course.” Grono nodded for Donequen’s sake.
“Well, thank you for the practice, Koin.”
“You’re welcome. Just find me whenever you want to spar.”
“Will do.” Donequen jogged to Grono’s side and he’d barely grabbed onto the loops to hoist himself up when Grono took off.
“Try not to bring him back too sore this time, please? I need him.”
Grono chuckled. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Zelia sighed as she watched them go. She wished she could practice with Raven, too, but there just weren’t enough hours in the day.
“You’re next, Jones. Zelia, see if you can’t teach Lucky how to wield two swords at once.”
“Oh, that should be a joy.” Zelia handed Lucky her short sword and went to the fence to retrieve two new ones for herself. If wielding one sword half the day didn’t make her sore, two would definitely do the trick.
“You could use the practice yourself.” Koin winked at her before correcting Jones’s stance.
“Love you too, Koin.”
“Oh, I know you do.” Koin smirked as he lifted Lucky’s left sword with his. “Just because it’s not your dominant hand doesn’t mean you should let it droop.” Koin started in with Jones then, and left Zelia to go through the basic movements with Lucky.
It was late when Linithion perched on the vine fence between the pastures. “It’s almost time for dinner. Whoever makes it to the house first will have time to shower before we eat.”
Lucky outright tossed his practice sword to Zelia hilt first and ran for the house, forcing Jones to do the same to Koin.
“Huh, that cleared the field pretty fast.” Linithion grinned and jumped off the fence. “You’re doing pretty well.”
“Only because Lucky is using his off arm, but thanks.”
They were only halfway through dinner when Eleanor stiffened, then suddenly hurried from the room. It was only a moment before Vainoff, Eadon, and Koin stood to head after her.
“Stay here.” Koin looked at Alrindel, glared at her and Linithion, then hurried to catch up with Eadon. He was calm, but Koin always seemed calm. Even in the middle of battle at The Hold he’d been calm.
“We’re under attack, aren’t we?” Zelia asked. How the wards around the inner kingdom alerted them was never explain
ed to her. She’d never asked, but she should have.
“Don’t you even think about it. We don’t want them to know your power works on them before we attack them,” Nikolas said.
“You expect me to sit by and watch?”
“They haven’t gotten through the wards, we’ll be fine. Eleanor only goes so she can repair whatever damage they inflict,” Alrindel said.
“What happens if they do get through?”
“Everyone will know. The island will shake from the force required to break the wards here. I don’t even think Eleanor could take them down if she wanted to anymore. It took a small feat to modify the wards for the dragons to get through.”
“Really?” Linithion asked.
“Yeah. Orvi was the only one who could go through the wards and we’re not sure how she did it. Only birds were supposed to be able to come and go outside of the two gateways.”
“We should keep eating,” Lighnif said. “They’ll let us know if they need us. Worrying wastes energy, save it for when we need it.”
“She’s right. Eat, then go to bed.”
“After a shower.” Linithion gave Zelia a playful glance. “Sorry, but you need one.”
“Oh, thanks.” Zelia shook her head. She wasn’t sure how all the others were able to just sit here and continue eating. Even the boys just shrugged and continued eating like it was nothing.
“They’re fine. I can see them from here. Just breath and relax. You need to eat and rest in case they need you later.”
Zelia did as Raven asked and forced herself to relax as she exhaled. Then she forced herself to eat enough so that the others wouldn’t say anything. She hated this part of battles and war. She hated just sitting by while others faced danger. But she did, because Nikolas had a point. They needed surprise on their side, if their plan for a counterattack was going to work. Or at least, if they wanted a chance to do it without getting any of their people killed.
26
A harsh knock jarred her awake. “Girls?” The sharp edge of Starling’s tone made Zelia scramble for the edge of the bed.
