by Kris A Hiatt
Raythien continued to smile, but slid off his horse.
Treace dismounted and grabbed the reins of Kiril’s horse as she did the same. He waited for Raythien and Moff to collect what they needed from their packs. Afterward, he gathered their horses and tied all four of them off to some smaller trees knowing they’d graze on what they could, including the trees if need be. Even though snow covered much of the ground, they were adept at foraging.
“Should I stick with the barrier?” Kiril asked.
“I’d think so,” Treace replied. “We know it can be done.”
“Aren’t you curious to know what other magics there are?”
“I am, but I’d rather not have my girlfriend stone-face herself trying to find them.”
“Stop trying to protect me.”
“I’m not. Saying I’m worried about it isn’t protecting you.”
“Treace,” Kiril said after a heavy sigh. “I know that you care for me. I know that you are worried about me. You don’t need to tell me that. It makes me feel like you’re being over-protective when you do.”
“I get what you’re trying to say,” he replied. “But you have to understand something. I will always protect you. Always. Whether that’s from someone with a sword, a bad decision, or anything that could potentially harm you. I’ll always do what I can to make sure nothing hurts you. I care about you.”
“And normally that would be sweet,” Kiril told him. “But you also have to see it as constricting. I’ve taken care of myself quite well up until this point. I’ve used magic, I’ve learned to fight. Yeah, I’ve made my share of bad decisions, but I’ve learned from them. Let me be me, that’s all I’m asking. Care for me all you want, but let me be my own person.”
“Okay,” he replied. “But then we take turns. You try, then me.” He may have said he agreed to her request, but he didn’t mean it. He wanted to, but he knew he’d never stop protecting her. Not in the sense that he wanted to smother her, never that. He would never think of preventing her from being the person she wanted to be or from making her own decisions, but he wouldn’t stop basing his decisions on what was going to keep her, and others he cared about, safe.
Kiril nodded her head. “Barrier then?”
“Barrier,” Treace confirmed.
Kiril closed her eyes.
He didn’t doubt her abilities, but he also knew from experience that it was going to take some time to get it right. The chances of her enacting a barrier over him were very slim. So, he let his mind wander. He thought back, as he often did, at his fight with Disdane. He no longer felt ashamed for losing to the man, but neither did he have a good plan for ensuring he didn’t lose the next time they fought.
He heard a cracking or scraping sound that brought his mind back. He looked up quickly and noted that his horse had bitten off a chunk of bark from the tree it was tethered to. It wasn’t a big piece or anything out of the ordinary for a horse to do, but it did remind him of something. It had the same shape as the burnt handprint in front of Kiril’s house. The one that Kint put there as a demonstration for Moff. It made him think of something else then. “Kiril,” he said, grabbing her hand.
“What?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he replied. “But I just thought of something. You need an emotional connection in order to use magic, right?”
“Well, yes. Our emotions are part of what makes us human. It only makes sense that we have a connection while we use the magic.”
“Didn’t your father place a barrier around a tree?”
“But he was holding on to the tree,” Kiril replied. “Since he was holding it, the barrier enveloped it as well.”
“And Disdane’s sword?” Treace asked. She had told him how her father heated the metal of the sword so hot that it caused the man to drop his weapon. Kint admitted it was the first time he’d done so and hadn’t yet perfected it. “He couldn’t have an emotional connection to it. Or even with Disdane for that matter.”
“He was scared for my life. If he didn’t stop Disdane then he’d lose his daughter. I was his emotional connection,” Kiril reasoned.
“Exactly! But that’s his connection with you not Disdane.”
“But Disdane is a human, and he has emotions. Perhaps the magic was transferred simply because he was touching the sword.”
“True,” Treace conceded. He could tell Kiril was getting agitated that he hadn’t explained what line of thinking he was touching on here. “But humor me for a moment. Usually, in order to boil water we touch it, right?”
“Yeah, water doesn’t have emotion. We do, so we use our body to heat the water.”
“And when we produce water, usually we make it come from our hands, right?”
“So?”
“Why do we use our hands for anything? Isn’t it our mind, our emotions that fuel the magic? Why do we need to touch anything at all? Your father didn’t touch Disdane.”
“What is it you’re getting at?” Kiril finally asked.
“What if each emotion is a component? What if each component was different yet could be combined with others?”
“Weren’t we just discussing that? While using a barrier, you also focus on anticipation and memories tied to that?” Kiril asked.
“Yes, but I’m thinking that anticipation by itself won’t make a barrier over another. What if it’s that anticipation is what makes the barrier go over someone else?”
“So you’re saying that anticipation isn’t what makes a distant barrier, but instead it’s what allows us to use magic at a distance?”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Treace confirmed. He didn’t know how he’d missed that possibility before now. He may be wrong, but it made much more sense to him.
“So do you think we may be able to use other magic at a distance? Like make a fire or cause it to rain?”
“It’s possible. I don’t know,” Treace admitted. “But it might explain why your father could heat the metal of a sword he wasn’t touching. If he anticipated the action much like when he utilized the barrier over Disdane, it just might explain it.”
“I never thought about it that way.”
“I didn’t either until just now,” Treace admitted.
“Let’s test it!” Kiril said excitedly.
He was going to tell her to be careful but decided not to ruin the moment. She was excited and he didn’t want to change that. He loved the grin that splayed over her face. Still, if she became stone-faced he’d never forgive himself. “Okay.”
“Still try for barrier?”
“Still barrier,” he confirmed. “Instead of bringing forth the barrier then trying to add range, think of each emotion separately and lock them into their own compartments in your mind. Once done, release them both at the same time.”
She probably heard him, but he couldn’t be certain. She had already closed her eyes and sought The Calm.
He knew she found it when her facial expressions ceased. A certain peace fell over her face and even then, without emotion, she was still as beautiful as ever.
Moments later a barrier shimmered over her body. Not long after, it dissipated for a moment before coming back. He knew that took skill. Once you lost the emotional connection, most users couldn’t find the necessary connection again without first coming out of The Calm.
She pointed at him and then his vision began to blur a moment later and a smile formed on his face. She had done it! The barrier over herself remained, but she had still formed one over him. He was impressed.
His vision returned to normal and she exited The Calm. The serenity on her face was gone in an instant and she smiled broadly before jumping into his arms.
“I did it! I did it!”
“You did it,” he replied, or tried to, but it was hard with her kissing his face all over. He was truly astonished. He thought it would take days to be able to successfully utilize the magic properly. And yet, Kiril had been successful on her first try. Either she wa
s much more powerful than he gave her credit for, or it confirmed that anticipation was a separate component. He believed it to be both.
“I had trouble at first,” she explained. “I brought up my barrier then when I tried to focus on the anticipation needed to bring yours, I lost it for a second. But I got it back! I’m so excited!”
He decided that she didn’t hear his instructions after all. He was no less impressed, but he hoped she’d be able to put a barrier over him only. He knew he had to try it too. “But why did you point at me?”
“I pointed at you?”
“You did.”
“I have no idea,” she replied, though she looked skeptical.
“Interesting,” he said, eager to test the magic himself. “You really weren’t trying to point at me?”
“No, I wasn’t. Maybe I was subconsciously aiming at you?” she suggested.
“Very well could be,” Treace agreed. “Either way, it’s my turn.”
“You can do it!” Kiril said. “I know you can do it!”
He didn’t bother to reply. His eyes were already closed and he was well on his way to finding The Calm by the time she finished her sentence. Her words sounded worlds away.
He found The Calm quickly and focused on his emotions. He willed those moving wisps to stop. He spread them in his mind, separated them, and then forced them to remain in place. There were far more wisps than there was known magic, but he ignored that for now. He had to focus.
He concentrated on the fear he held for losing Kiril. The fear he felt after being told his mother was ill and he was miles away without knowing if she’d live. Rather than drawing that emotion into him, he kept it locked in place, willing it to remain strong and at the ready.
He thought of how his mother left him a note telling him to meet her and Jensen at the forge for his birthday and then of the anticipation of what his present may be. He pictured Kiril, knowing she was only a few feet from him. He focused that magic on her.
He focused on both emotions and brought them into him at the same time. Once he had them under control, he simultaneously released them, commanding them to protect Kiril, his love.
He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that he succeeded. He could feel the magical energy surrounding her. How could he not? It was his emotion that enveloped her and protected her.
He smiled and let the magic fall.
“How did you do that?” Kiril asked, clearly astonished.
“There was never a barrier over me, was there?” he asked. He was quite sure the answer was no, but he wanted to be certain.
“No, not even a shimmer.”
“I built each emotion separately, but I drew them in and released them at the same time,” he explained.
“That’s the difference!” Kiril replied excitedly. “You figured it out!”
“We,” Treace told her.
“Do you know what this means?” Kiril asked, nearly awestricken.
“A lot of possibilities,” Treace replied.
“I wonder,” she mumbled.
“Wonder what?” Treace asked.
Too late. Her eyes snapped shut and she found The Calm a few heartbeats later. She was much faster this time than she usually was.
Kiril raised her hand and pointed at a nearby pine tree.
Treace didn’t know why she’d put a barrier over a tree, unless she was trying to prove to herself that she could do it.
As soon as that thought was out of his head, the needles of the tree burst into flame. She wasn’t trying to make a barrier, she was lighting fire to the tree!
The smaller branches caught fire as well and instantly began to crackle and spit embers. Snow that had covered the needles melted immediately and smoke wafted high into the air. The heat was immense and Treace was glad there weren’t other trees nearby or else he was certain they would have caught fire as well. Either Kiril had picked the lone pine on purpose, or she was very lucky.
The fires all but went out, but the tree still smoldered.
“I had no idea,” Kiril verily squealed. “I wasn’t even trying to do that.”
Treace was astonished and terrified at the same time. He was impressed with how easily she seemed to do it and of the results, but terrified at the prospect of what that could do to a person. “What were you trying to do?”
“I was trying to burn my handprint into it, like my father had done.”
Kint had burned his handprint in a tree to prove to Moff how powerful he was. That wasn’t such an impressive feat now considering what Kiril had just done. Now that Treace thought about it, not even the magic was the same. “Your hand never grew hot.”
“But I destroyed the tree,” Kiril replied.
“Yes, but your hand never glowed red and yet you did destroy the tree.”
“What are you getting at?”
“Don’t you see?” Treace asked excitedly. This was a huge breakthrough. It would still need to be tested of course, but if he was correct, this war was about to shift into their favor. “When I created a barrier over you, I didn’t have one over me. When you burned the tree, your hand didn’t grow hot.”
“So?” Kiril asked, looking confused.
“Up until now,” Treace explained. “We’ve always made ourselves the target of the magic. Our hand grows hot, we make water pool in our hands, we lay our hands on people to heal them, or we make a barrier over ourselves. Now, when we target something or someone other than ourselves, the magic changes. It seems stronger. At least for Path of Fire. I couldn’t discern a difference from the different barriers though, could you?”
“No, but then again, I didn’t feel any stronger emotion when I lit the tree on fire either,” Kiril replied. “We need to test it more. It could be that the magic just changes, like you said before.”
“We do need to test it more. A lot more,” Treace agreed and looked to line of smoke floating into the sky from the smoldering tree. “But not here. Anyone within a few miles now knows there’s someone here.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Kiril reiterated.
“I know,” Treace replied. “But we should get moving. We can take the horses and track the other two. If there are more of Shamir’s men in the area, they may come investigate.”
“Let them,” Raythien said as he rounded a tree and into view. “They’ll be here soon enough.”
“Exactly what happened?” Moff asked, overexaggerating a nod toward the tree.
“I burned it down,” Kiril replied nonchalantly.
“How?”
“Magic,” was Kiril’s reply. “Not that you know what that is.”
Moff’s reply came in the form of a single upraised finger.
“You saw some of Shamir’s men, didn’t you?” Treace asked Raythien, changing the subject.
“We did,” the man replied. “And I’m certain they’ll come try to find out who’s here.”
“Why would they?” Moff asked.
“Because it’s what I would do,” Raythien replied.
“So what do you suggest?” Treace asked, wanting insight from the more experienced warrior before he made his decision.
“We hide and wait,” was his reply.
Treace didn’t like the idea of attacking unsuspecting people. He wasn’t foolish enough to think that they could talk their way out of a fight if it came to it, but he thought they could at least meet their opponents face-to-face. Anyway he looked at it, Raythien’s idea seemed to be the best option. “We wait then,” Treace instructed.
Raythien dropped his bow and began rolling snow into a large ball.
“What are you doing?” Treace asked.
“What does it look like?” Raythien asked. “I’m making a snowman. Like we did as kids. Come on, make another ball.”
Treace didn’t think now was the time to tell him that he had never made a snowman before. Instead he followed the older man’s lead and began making a large snowball as well.
“Give me your cloak,” Raythien i
nstructed after the construction of the short snowman was completed.
Treace reluctantly did so.
Raythien pulled the hood of the cloak over the head of the snowman and ensured the back of it covered the entirety of the body. It wasn’t too far from the burned tree and was facing it. From the direction Shamir’s men would most likely be coming from, it would look like a man kneeling or sitting in the snow with his back to them.
“That actually looks good,” Moff pointed out.
“You’ve got to stop doubting me,” Raythien replied. “Now get under the boughs of one of the pines like when you used to play hide and seek.”
Treace had watched kids play the game, but he never partook himself. He just never had any interest as a child. But, it was obvious what Raythien meant by it, so Treace pulled up the lowest braches of a nearby pine and Kiril climbed under them. Once she was in, he drew his swords and carefully followed suit.
Anyone who was close enough and bothered to look would easily see the tracks in the snow leading under the tree, but Treace didn’t think anyone would get that close without him first hearing them.
“How long will we wait?” Kiril whispered a short while later.
He shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t want to risk a verbal reply, regardless if it was a whisper.
Treace heard something off to his left. At least he thought he heard something. He turned his head slightly and listened intently. After a few moments he decided it must have been his imagination.
The twang of a bowstring rang out in the silence. It came from his right side. He was certain that wasn’t just his imagination. Another followed it, but across from him instead.
That sound from the left came again, and this time it didn’t stop. In fact, it seemed to be getting closer.
Through the limbs Treace could see a man approaching. His scraggly beard and broad nose were the most prominent features on the man’s face. His determined eyes were scanning the distance and Treace thought for a second that he was spotted, but the man’s gaze moved as quickly as it set upon him.
The man moved with purpose, sword drawn, and came within ten feet of their hiding spot. His course looked like it would take him directly to the decoy.
Once the man passed them, Treace nodded at Kiril and began to slide out of his hiding spot. He hoped he would be quiet enough so the man wouldn’t hear him.
