Cora had stopped pacing and turned to glare at him, “And what if it’s not?” she had questioned, running a hand nervously through her shoulder length auburn hair only to then resume her pacing.
“Cora if anything happens you know we’ll all help,” Vala had said walking up to the young warrior and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“And if Bælana attacks too?” Cora had asked.
“Then we’ll find a way to deal with it,” Boran had said, rising from his seat, “we can’t let Fjord intimidate us like this. I don’t know why Yutshan is acting the way it is, but right now we have to focus on the problem at hand, and that’s Bælana and the mingual.”
“What should I do then?” Cora had asked, “I mean, how can I help?” The others had looked at one another as if having a silent conversation, after a time Helian had spoken.
“Perhaps you should return to Xitol,” he had suggested, “and prepare the city.” Cora had nodded, almost in relief and left to prepare.
“Are we doing the right thing?” Vala snapped out of her trance and turned to see Helian before her.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted, securing her saddle bags, “I suppose what we’re doing may look like we don’t trust one another but the fact we’ve had this meeting should disprove that.”
“I’m honestly not sure what else we could do,” Boran said walking over to them, “this is the only way we can at least try and be one step ahead of that witch!”
“You’re right,” Helian said, “I just wish I could remove this knot in the pit of my stomach.” He and Vala mounted their horses and turned to leave.
“Please be careful,” Boran said standing between them, “don’t put yourselves in any unnecessary danger.”
“When have you ever known me to do that?” Helian asked grinning, Boran shook his head and the two warriors kicked their horses into a trot to join the rest of their warriors. They headed west out of the city and began their journey to the northern borders of Amga Nek.
Chapter 12
Every morning for several weeks Tom and Kiræ had visited Sara and Brean to engage in magical training. They had become fairly proficient at summoning fire and although Kiræ was still excited, some it was wearing off.
“I wonder if we’ll finally start working with another element,” she whispered to Tom as they walked through the now familiar maze towards Sara’s workroom.
“When Brean thinks we’re ready, we’ll move on,” Tom whispered back. They reached the workroom door and knocked, Brean called for them to enter and they sat in front of the desk as usual. Brean had quickly become attached to the twins and he smiled affectionately at them over the top of his glasses.
“Sara and I have agreed that you’ve become more than competent summoning fire, so this morning, I’m going to get you to try and manipulate air.” Kiræ gasped in excitement, Tom raised an eyebrow at his sister.
“What will that allow us to do?” Tom asked, Brean waved his hand towards them and an empty mug on the table slid across to them.
“That’s amazing!” Kiræ said.
“Can we use it on the mingual?” Tom asked, leaning forwards.
Brean nodded, “It is our hope that this can be an effective way to deter them. With the right application this skill could be used to move an opponent’s weapon or even themselves.”
“What do we do?” Tom asked.
“The first thing to do is feel for air, all of the elements have a pulse, or vibration that normal people cannot feel. Your training with fire has shown you that it gives off a fast, warm vibration, air is a bit different, it’s more of a slow, rhythmic pulse. Close your eyes and see.”
They sat for a long time searching, then identically, and without knowing it, they began to feel a rhythmic, almost graceful pulsation around them, twirling and flowing like invisible water.
“Can you feel it?” Brean asked tentatively and the twins nodded slowly. “Good, now, open your eyes but continue to focus on air.” The twins obeyed, and looked with slightly unfocused eyes at Brean. “I want you to hold up your hands, palms facing the two mugs on the table and push the air away from you and towards the mugs, really force it away.” The two mugs on the table twitched and jerkily moved about an inch; Brean raised an eyebrow. “Well that was unexpected.”
“What do you mean?” Tom asked.
“I didn’t want to say anything as it might have disheartened you but it often takes days of practice before you can move anything! It certainly took Bælana several days.”
“What does that mean?” Kiræ asked.
“Nothing,” Brean smiled, though Kiræ wasn’t sure he meant it. “I want you to try again, keep your eyes open this time and really focus on pushing the air into a single space; try moving your hands towards the mug as I did.” Brean watched them for almost half an hour when their eyes finally began to lose focus. In complete unison Kiræ and Tom raised their hands, palms outwards and pushed them towards the two mugs on the table. They slid quickly across the surface and smashed as they hit the floor. The twins looked shocked but a strange smile flitted across Brean’s face.
“That’s interesting,” he said staring at them intensely, “I think we’ve found something rather special about the two of you.” Kiræ looked quizzically at him and he smiled mischievously. “Let’s try something else,” he said walking to the corner of the room where Sara stood, arms folded with a frown on her face. “I want you to move the desk.”
The twins laughed, “We can’t do that,” Tom said, “that desk must be solid oak, we’re not strong enough.”
“Try holding hands.”
“Are you serious?” Kiræ asked and Brean nodded. The siblings looked at one another, shrugged and clasped hands. They exhaled deeply and searched for air. After several minutes they slowly, and again in perfect unison raised a hand, palm outwards, towards the desk and pushed towards it. The desk slid smoothly across the stone floor and came to rest with a bump against the back wall. The twins looked at one another, then down at their still clasped hands and finally at Brean, who was now grinning at them.
“Is that normal?” Tom asked.
“Normal? No,” Brean answered lightly, “special? Yes. I think what we’ve got here is a magical link between the two of you and when you work together it’s stronger. It’s a rare occurrence but it has been known to surface with twins.”
Kiræ grinned at her brother, “Looks like we might have an advantage over the mingual after all.”
“Yes indeed,” Brean agreed, “though you must remember that harnessing the power of the elements takes energy from you. Yes, this magic will be a distinct advantage, but it will also wear you down, and that can have lasting and damaging effects if you do not let yourselves recover.”
“Can we try again?” Tom asked.
“How do you feel?”
“We’re fine,” Kiræ grinned, “is there anything heavier than the desk? I want to test our limits.”
Brean chuckled, “I don’t think I have anything here, but perhaps we can train on the beach one evening, there are some rather large boulders down there. For now, I think you should practice working individually, I want to see your individual capability compared with that when you work together.”
For the remaining hour the twins moved objects individually and together, while Brean watched them intensely and Sara took notes. As the first morning bell tolled they hurriedly thanked Brean and rushed towards the Great Hall feeling both excited and exhausted. Kiræ was grateful for the first time that today they had classes instead of training.
Hours later the twins were sat with their friends in the Great Hall having their evening meal; Kiræ felt utterly exhausted after a day of classes and her gratefulness towards them had completely vanished.
“I just don’t understand why we have to spend so many hours studying them,” Tana complained, resting her head in her hands, “it’s mind-numbingly boring.” She looked up as Hazime laughed and she scowled at him.
&
nbsp; “They’ll come in useful someday I promise,” he said, she looked unconvinced.
“Probably sooner than you think,” Gary sighed.
“What’s up?” Tom asked. Gary took a letter from his pocket and threw it on the table.
Hazime sighed as they began to read it, “We’ve got just over a season left, then our second year of training will be over.” He explained before they had finished reading, “Goliath has requested that Gary returns to Denward to help protect the city and I’ll be going with him.” The group stared in shock and Kiræ’s heart sank.
“I can’t believe it’s come around so soon,” Aurora said quietly, “it really won’t be the same round here without you two.”
“I knew I would have to return eventually,” Gary sighed again, “but I had hoped I would be able to stay here over winter.”
“Look,” Tom said, snapping the others out of their sombre moods, “we could sit here and wallow at the loss of our two great friends, or we could make the most of the time we have left.”
Keolan clapped him on the back, “You’re right Tom, besides, it’s creeping me out that Hazime is acting so depressed.” He grinned at his friend who instantly smiled back and cracked a joke causing the group to laugh, though Kiræ could tell there was an underlying sadness to it. She looked at Gary and Hazime and felt a pang of sadness as she realised just how much she would miss them.
Vala, Helian and their warriors had journeyed towards the northern border of Amga Nek for several days and were approaching the sleepy town of Valmena. The citizens were simple farmers but friendly, and they would welcome trade with the warriors. Vala looked at the mountains on the northern horizon; it had been a long time since she had been at their feet and she wondered if she would ever ride to them again. She had loved listening to stories about the dragons that lived in the mountains when she was a girl and she secretly hoped that one day she might see one.
Several hundred years ago, a group of ill-informed citizens believed that the dragons had stolen magic and set out to destroy them causing the dragons to retreat and hide. Now it was considered an omen of good luck if one was seen.
They had ridden hard that day and as the mid-summer sun was setting they reached the sleepy town of Valmena. Helian dismounted at the gates and handed a folded piece of parchment to the watchmen who had emerged to greet them. They read Boran’s hurried scrawl in the flickering lamplight, which allowed the army safe passage, and opened the gates wide to let the warriors through.
Vala found, tired as she was, that she couldn’t sleep; there was a restlessness in the back of her mind she couldn’t turn off. She pulled on her coat, laced up her boots and walked out into the cool, clear night. The streets of Valmena were quiet; guards patrolled the perimeter but a calm silence surrounded them.
She walked north to the edge of the town and climbed the steps to the walls; the guards nodded to her politely and continued patrolling. Vala stared at the distant mountains and let out a long sigh, her breath turning to white mist as it mingled with the cool air. She turned her head sharply and squinted into the distance, convinced she had seen something large from the corner of her eye. After several minutes she gave up searching and turned to go. Her head jerked back towards the mountains and this time she was sure she had seen something gliding in the dark.
She woke feeling surprisingly refreshed, as did all the warriors, something to do with the proximity to Amga Nek the citizens had said. Whatever the reason, Vala was glad they were continuing their journey towards the north-eastern border of the forest with renewed energy. They eventually reached the borders of Amga Nek as the day was beginning to cool. Vala breathed deeply as they entered, inhaling the familiar fresh scent of the forest along with an unfamiliar floral fragrance. She had never journeyed through Amga Nek and before they entered had been struggling with a knot of worry, remembering the last time she had led her warriors into a forest. But as soon as they had crossed the threshold she felt a wave of calm wash over her and somehow knew they would be safe and protected.
They rode south-west towards the border between Auradal and the Holy Land; the air beneath the bows was still, but fresh, unlike most other woods and forests. Every so often Vala thought she heard movement somewhere near them but when she peered through the trees she saw only small woodland creatures.
A louder rustling sounded from a patch of tall undergrowth before them and Vala cursed her complacency while drawing her sword. Unease cascaded over the warriors and one by one they drew their weapons, preparing for battle. They waited, tense and ready as the noise increased. Vala thought she could start to see something moving in the depths of the undergrowth and without warning it sprang forward.
Chapter 13
“They’re learning too much too fast!” Sara said several days later as she paced her office. “It’s clear they’ve got power, power like hers, doesn’t that worry you?” She stopped finally and glared at Brean, irritated by his calm exterior; his hands were clasped together under his chin and his amber eyes were closed.
“I’m not worried,” he said finally, “they have something that Bælana didn’t.”
“And what’s that?” Sara asked, folding her arms and tapping her foot in annoyance.
Brean finally opened his eyes and looked at her, “They have each other.”
“How can you be so calm?! Brean, you’re teaching them so much and in such a short time.”
“There can be no other way, they must be prepared.”
“Prepared for what? What aren’t you telling me?”
Brean let out an almost inaudible sigh, “I believe they will eventually try to find her, no not like that,” he said holding up a hand as Sara looked shocked. “I don’t believe they will ever think of Bælana as their mother, but they do think they can stop her.”
“When?” Sara asked quietly.
Brean shook his head, “I don’t know, I can’t see it, but they will go and the more they’ve learnt the more chance they’ll have of being successful.”
Sara shook her head in frustration, “Isn’t there some way we can stall them?”
“They have another year of training and I still have some tricks up my sleeve to keep them interested, let’s just hope that’s enough, but assuming it’s not, I do have another plan.”
“And that is?” Sara asked, tilting her head.
“All in good time my dear,” he replied waving a hand, “now we must stop talking about such things, it won’t be long until they arrive.” Sara sighed heavily as a knock came at the door and the twins walked in.
“Sorry,” Tom yawned, “we had a tough day yesterday and it seemed twice as hard to get up this morning.”
“Are we working with air again?” Kiræ asked sleepily.
“Sort of,” Brean replied and the twins looked confused.
“You’re going to work with air and water,” the looks of sleepy confusion deepened. “I know you’ve not summoned water yet, but given your success with fire and air, I’m confident you’ll be fine.”
“What exactly will we be doing?” Tom asked stifling a yawn.
“You will conjure water, then manipulate it using air.”
“Manipulating water?” Kiræ asked confused and Brean nodded, “why aren’t we manipulating fire since we know we can summon it?”
“Fire manipulation can be a little dangerous and I would prefer that you practice combining two elements without its presence at the moment. Water summoning, is very similar to that of fire, though the vibrations are a little slower and you might feel a cool sensation in your hands. Kiræ, why don’t you try first?”
Kiræ settled herself in her chair, she cupped her hands, assuming one would not be sufficient to hold the water. She breathed deeply, staring at her palms and tried to imagine being surrounded by water. She thought about it bubbling from her soul, through her veins and into her hands. She continued to stare for several minutes until a cool tingling prickled her palms. She waited, holding her breath for the water to
appear, but nothing happened. After several more minutes the tingling vanished and she looked disappointedly at her dry hands.
“Do not worry my dear,” Brean said kindly, “did you feel anything?”
“I felt a cool, tingling on my hands, I thought that meant I’d done it,” she replied glumly.
Brean smiled and his amber eyes crinkled, “It sounds like you were close, but exhaustion can interfere with this practice, and you have been busy recently. Tom, why don’t you try?”
Tom cupped his hands as his sister had and stared at them, he breathed slowly and began to search inside himself for water. He thought of the cool feeling that came from fresh flowing water and imagined his soul was a spring from which it sprang forth and bubbled through his body and into his hands. He felt a familiar pulsation and a cool sensation spread through him. Slowly and after waiting patiently for what felt like hours, water bubbled from his palms and created a small, clear pool in his hands. Tom stared in surprise and Kiræ smiled at him with only a hint of jealousy.
“Well done Tom,” Brean said, “now, try to absorb it back into your body, as you’ve done with fire.” Tom stared at the water in his cupped hands and watched it for some time before it finally began to re-absorb into his skin; he sat back, feeling drained.
“Brilliant,” Brean said enthusiastically, he then turned to Kiræ, “why not give it another try.” Kiræ swallowed hard and nodded nervously as she tried to clear her mind of all her worries and negative thoughts. She concentrated for what felt to her like hours before she began to feel the cool tingling sensation. She tried to ignore it and continued her thoughts, trying also to ignore her still dry palms. Then she felt the quick pulsing vibrations, which had eluded her the first time and saw with glee a small amount of water bubble from her palms and fill her cupped hands.
“There, I knew you could do it, just a little tired I’m sure, now best reabsorb it just for the practice.” Kiræ nodded and silently commanded the water to flow back through her palms, into her veins and back to her soul.
Forgotten Magic (Elementals Book 1) Page 10
