CHAPTER TWELVE #2
“I would like that,” I smile softly at him before continuing on my way.
Nero scoffs. “A walk. Who wants to go on a walk?”
“Maybe he just wants to talk? Who knows.” His annoyance with Talyn makes me laugh and I quicken my pace. Batsil won’t take kindly to my being late.
Thankfully it doesn’t take me long to reach the field where Lennox and Roz are waiting for me, and no Batsil in sight. I nearly sigh in relief before her voice sounds behind me.
“Cutting it close, aren’t we?”
“Sorry, Captain Batsil,” I mutter, hurrying over to my friends.
Roz is bouncing on his toes as he throws a smile my way, while Lennox nods, the shadows deepening under his eyes. I frown and make a mental note to check in on him after training. It’s obvious and understandable that he hasn’t been sleeping well.
Nero takes off and circles above before making his rounds of the castle. “Knock her on her ass Rav, I’ll be back after.”
“Alright.” Batsil claps her hands together, but before she continues, Cynder comes striding onto the field. “I’m sorry but this is a closed training session,”she starts.
“No, my sister will be joining us.”
Batsil pales. “Sister? That’s impossible.” She whips her gaze from one of us to the other, searching for similarities.
Roz grabs me by the shoulders. “You have a sister and you didn’t tell us?”
“I just found out myself, but yes. It’s a long story that I will explain later,” I tell him.
He practically vibrates with impatience and I can tell he has a thousand questions that are threatening to pour out of his mouth, but after a moment he nods before turning to Cynder. “Welcome to the family, Cyn!” he announces, throwing his arms wide as he grins toothily.
She mutters a thanks and gives me a look that I interpret as “Is he always like this?”
I laugh and gesture for her to join us, and when I turn around I notice that Lennox hasn’t taken his eyes off her and continues to watch her as she crosses the field.
“Well, since that’s settled. Let’s start off with some exercises.
Roz, you know the drill. Since you don’t have Elemi magick, work on strengthening the minor details in your illusions while strengthening your mental walls.
The rest of you, I want you to summon your elements and hold them for as long as you can.
At the end of the lesson, we will see if you continue to not land a hit on me. ”
“Same reward if we do?” Roz asks in excitement. Roz has been joining our lesson if Jesper is otherwise preoccupied and can’t teach him. Plus he is determined to figure out how a Captain at Phixmery is trustworthy enough to be invited to Vathia on Aemon’s behest.
She nods stoically, but I swear her lip twitched. “Off you go. Cynder, with me. I want to see where you’re at with your magick.”
She glances at me with panic so I quickly reassure her. “You can trust her, she’s one of the best. I’ll talk to my mates and see if they can help us with the other aspects of your magick. I’m still learning, so I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but I’ll definitely try too.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Princess Ravina,” Batsil states. “You’ve come a long way from when you first commenced under my tutelage.”
The blush that has only just faded makes a return as I mutter my thanks.
We spend about an hour focusing on our magick.
I’m able to summon and hold all my elements for about twenty minutes each.
I spend time shaping and reshaping, expanding and shrinking, blowing and hardening, manipulating them every which way, and I know I could hold them longer but I don’t want to wear myself out.
You never know when you’ll need to be on top of your game these days.
This very training yard was the site of the most recent attempt on my life, after all.
Roz moves in my peripherals. When I glance over at him, he smirks and holds a single finger to his lips before pointing at Lennox who is absentmindedly playing with fire while staring at my sister.
I sense the moment when Roz taps into his magick, and suddenly Lennox is swatting at himself and hopping around the field.
“Rozen Stoll!” Batsil yells, blasting him with water from the trough. “We are not dueling.”
He laughs. “Aw, I was just helping him refocus, that’s all.”
“Behave yourself.” She glares at him before going back to instructing Cynder.
“What was that for?” Lennox snaps, turning his ire on Roz.
He shrugs. “You seemed a little distracted, as I said. Are you feeling more focused now or should I ask Cynder if she wants to duel with you?” He smirks. “Oh Cyn—”
Lennox slaps his hand over his mouth. “Enough. I just…” His gaze bounces to me before his cheeks pinken. “Just leave it be. I’m focused. See?” He shoots water right into Roz’s face making him sputter.
Batsil pretends she doesn’t see. At this point I’m struggling to contain my laughter as I chastise them half-heartedly. “Alright you two, knock it off. Don’t wear yourselves down before our scrimmage with Batsil.”
Roz rolls his eyes, but it’s not long after that the Captain calls for our attention. “Alright, the same rules apply. If you get one hit on me, I’ll tell you why Lord Aemon has summoned me here.”
I feel my magick settle within me as I prepare, power crackling at my fingertips as I widen my stance and bend slightly at the knees. My eyes meet Roz and Lennox, then Cynder who appears nervous.
From what Talyn has shared, she’s never dueled or used her magick much, but from what I’ve seen with Batsil today, I know she will do just fine. My lips stretch into a friendly grin as I give her an encouraging nod.