Chapter 8 Weapons Training
The weeks went by in a flurry of activity.
I continued to walk that delicate tightrope between studying and having some semblance of a social life.
Both Amber and Oliver helped me to keep my head above water.
We were fast approaching the end of the month, and our first magical demonstration would act as a mid-term exam.
In our magical training class, Caleb's students had moved on from creating a small fire in the palm of our hand to a more complex firewave spell where we were required to make a bigger fire and send it out in a half-moon arc toward a target or a group of targets.
It had a bigger area of damage but was less destructive than the firebolt spell, the one we would be required to master before the end of term to progress from Iron level magic to Steel.
One of the weapons we were taught to use was the bow and arrow, and after almost a month of training, my form was improving, and I had even managed to hit the target consistently. Miss Sinistra, one of the weapons masters who was an expert sharpshooter, even complimented me on it.
"Well done, Miss Wood!" She said after clapping me on the shoulder.
My arrow had found its target squarely in the middle of the painted heart on a strawman.
Miss Sinistra was a small woman with honey blonde hair in a short pixie cut.
Her nose and chin were sharp and elven-like.
She always wore riding leathers that fit her form snugly.
At the Academy, she was hands down one of my favorite instructors.
Looking at her as I blushed, pleased with her praise despite myself, I wondered for the umpteenth time if she didn't have Fae blood in her lineage.
She turned to the rest of the students sitting in a line on the grass, waiting for their turn to shoot at the targets.
"Now, you should all take note of Leah's controlled breathing and the way she took a big breath just before lifting the bow and firing her arrow. It was textbook perfect!"
"We should put the Imp there next time, give her something real to shoot at.
" Someone snickered. I didn't have to look to see that it was Ines.
She was loud-whispering to her group of friends.
Though she wasn't in the same class as I was when it came to magic lessons—thank the gods—she was still a first-year who had shown an affinity for long-range weapons.
So, to my dismay, we had been lumped into the same weapons training class.
That was the only drawback of these classes.
I glanced over at Seraphina and saw that she had withdrawn into herself, sitting there with tears of rage in her eyes, her mouth clamped shut.
Why was she not sticking up for herself?
She had no problem making her opinion widely known before.
Had the summoning ceremony taken something so vital away from her that she just had to take the abuse?
Brambles wasn't even there to comfort her, and she seemed desperately alone.
Some of the other students snickered. Ines always seemed to draw the same crowd wherever she went, cronies who were taken in by her charm and thought themselves better than everyone else.
I glanced at her Satyr mate, Rytus, and wondered why a creature from the beautiful Fae Realm Verenestra would have chosen to bond with someone so cruel and unkind.
I sighed and looked at her mocking face, wondering if, for once, I should snap back at her. I was trying to think of something damning and clever to say, but I wasn't the target of her cruelty and was trying to stay out of the drama.
Miss Sinistra's eyes flashed with anger, and she opened her mouth, about to tell Ines off, when someone pointedly cleared their throat.
Miss Sinistra flushed and looked uncharacteristically flustered as she stared at the figure who had appeared behind the line of students.
"Principal Lucius, ah... What brings you here? I mean, welcome."
I watched Miss Sinistra blush like she was a student herself and realized our weapons master may very well have a crush on our Principal.
She was talking very fast, asking the Principal if he wanted to see the progress some of the other students had made in her class.
He gave her a dignified smile despite her babbling.
"Thank you, Miss, but I wonder if I could borrow Amber for a moment? "
The whole class turned to stare at Amber, who usually didn't draw much attention to herself. She was better than I was at sword fighting, but she had proven time and again to be hopeless at long-range weapons. Still, she attended classes with Miss Sinistra with admirable determination.
"Oh, of course! Amber, dear, you may go with the Principal."
I felt like a statue, watching Amber leave with the Principal. I really hoped she wasn't in trouble. I was also dying to know what the Principal was discussing with her.
"Leah, you may sit down, Hon." Miss Sinistra's gentle nudge pulled me back to the present, and I gave a start.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry."
I went to sit next to the rest of the students. Ines was up next, and I should have derived some pleasure out of seeing her hit the target's stomach instead of its heart, but I barely noticed.
***
"And he introduced me to the master blacksmith, Sir Renny Feujro, who said he'd be happy to teach me how to craft weapons and let me experiment with fusion magic once I'm able."
We were sitting at the lunch table in the great hall. Amber was telling us why Principal Lucius had pulled her out of the weapons training class today.
"Wow, that's brilliant," Oliver said. "Good on you for taking the initiative to ask."
"So, wait, you asked to be allowed to make weapons instead of learning how to use them?
" I was amazed at the courage it must have taken for Amber to discuss it with the Principal.
I was also excited and happy for her. She was obviously thrilled by the prospect of learning how to forge weapons from a master blacksmith.
"Well, no. I'll still learn how to use them, but once my magical abilities grow past a certain point, I'll be spending more time creating magical weapons.
Given who my mate is, the Principal seemed to think it was a good idea.
Yes, I went to see him. I've decided that's where I want to focus my studies eventually, and I thought it best to tell him so he can make it happen.
He said he'd look into it, and he has. I'm not giving up, I'm just exploring my options and deciding what to focus my own particular gifts on. "
I recalled the moment when Amber had first summoned and bonded with her Fire Phoenix mate, Pyrrhus.
He had promised to teach her about the fire and the forge.
I should have realized she'd want to explore what her particular interests and gifts meant, and considering she was a blacksmith's daughter, it made sense.
"Anyway, it's not going to happen for a while, at least. I'll still be attending the weapons training classes while I hone my magical abilities. I need to understand how the weapons are used to create them effectively. I can read it in a book, but seeing it done is the best way to learn."
Oliver nodded and seemed to think it was reasonable. Amber smiled at me reassuringly. I leaned over, and we hugged.
"Don't worry, we'll still be in the same classes for a while yet."
I pulled away from her, and we all stood up. "This is great for you. Don't worry about me." I'd miss her, of course, if she no longer attended the weapons training classes, but this was so much more important. "Have you told Pyrrhus yet? I bet he'll be pleased."
The three of us walked outside into the gardens. We had a few minutes left before our next classes.
"Well, no. I wanted to summon him now to tell him."
I glanced around. We were standing in front of a fountain in the shade of a beautifully blooming tree.
Not the special place I had been visiting some nights to summon my own mates, but another section of the gardens that was relatively private.
"Well, go on then. We seem to be alone for the moment, and we should have a few minutes before the bell rings. "
I watched as Amber closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
I could feel her magic gather inside her and all around her, a heady swirl of potential that she was as yet only scratching the surface of.
A familiar light broke through the trees, the light I recognized from the Hestawyn Realm, where Vaerath was also from.
The Phoenix appeared in his human form, bronze-skinned and alight with a fire in his eyes.
The more we summoned our mates, the less dramatic their appearance in the Human Realm.
I had also noticed that with my own mates, summoning them became easier, and I could sustain their presence for longer.
A sunny smile broke on Amber's face as she went over to let him fold her in his arms. I watched them for a moment as they whispered together, and I felt a bittersweet ache in my heart when he kissed her so gently on her forehead.
It reminded me of Caelan. Pyrrhus had the same quality about him that was almost reserved but was in fact a sign of deep respect and affection.
I suddenly missed my Fae Prince with a keening feeling that was hard to define.
I smiled and turned away, deciding to give the lovers this private moment together. I hooked my arm through Oliver's, and together we walked back in the direction of the castle, passing fountains and streams, marble statues and beds of sweet-smelling, brightly colored flowers.
Later that night, the room grew quiet as everyone else came to bed.
The lights were switched off, and soon our dormitory room was bathed only in moonlight.
When the only sounds were those of people sleeping deeply, I got up quietly and grabbed the purple shawl my mother had sent me.
It had become one of my favorite items of clothing, and I kept it handy for nights when I couldn't sleep, which had been happening quite often.
I folded the shawl around my shoulders and crept out quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone.
I took the familiar route and walked down the same hallways and flights of stairs.
In the last few weeks, I had taken the route every time I felt overwhelmed when sleep eluded me.
It was very late, and I didn't see anyone as I made my way outside to the section in the garden where I had found the bench under the elm tree.
This had become one of my favorite parts of the castle.
Whenever I was feeling down, I came here to think.
Knowing it was protected by magic and I could summon one of my mates here if I wished had drawn me here again and again.
I had to be careful to give myself time to rest in between, to recover.
But just knowing it was here had made this a place of comfort for me, like a special sanctuary even on nights when I just sat here alone.
The branches of the large tree seemed to whisper a welcome as I took my place on the bench. The air was chilly, so I pulled my legs up and covered them with the shawl. Then I closed my eyes and thought of the one person I wanted to see at that moment.
I felt the old, familiar pull, the doorway opening from one world into another one. There seemed to be a tearing sound, a shifting of reality, and bright sunlight turned the inside of my eyelids red. I smiled at the warmth on my face, welcomed the smell of fresh rain and of green things growing.
"You've summoned me, my Queen," said a voice that was cool and formal.
I opened my eyes and saw Caelan, my Fae Prince. My breath caught a little in my throat. Though I'd been expecting him, though I had summoned him, I was still surprised.
On nights when we'd sat on this very bench, holding hands and sharing whispers and kisses in the dark, I had never grown accustomed to his platinum-haired, green-eyed beauty. His sudden appearance in our world, a being of extraordinary grace and power, always snatched my breath away.
He came to sit with me on the bench and held me.
He gave me comfort by listening to my secret thoughts and feelings that I couldn't share with anyone, not even Oliver or Amber.
Night after night, I summoned one of them.
Not always, but often. We talked of their homes, of their Patron Gods, and I made mental notes to add to my essays to be handed in to Miss Whips at the end of term.
My three mates brought me comfort and gave me counsel. They made me feel less alone.
While we talked and kissed and sat on the bench, letting time pass us by, I was unaware that someone else was watching.
From behind a thick clump of bushes, where I couldn't see them, someone was spying on us.
Someone who had heard I was leaving my room, someone who had wanted to see where I'd been going when I left the dormitory and wandered in the castle's quiet hallways.
Someone with ill intent was watching me with a pair of hostile eyes.