Will Of The Fates

22.

The sun had started to set when we finally got back to the clearing. The entire way there and back had been long enough for both of us to completely tell each what we'd been up to. I'd just caught him up on the progress we'd made in the dungeon, and managed to keep the mana spirit and the armband out of it. The mana training Elikai had me start had been brought up. It made my father angry. I barely managed to calm him down as we got back.

Dinner was on the fire as we walked back in. I nodded back at the greeting and sat down with a huff. My legs burned from the long walk. I exhaled loudly as father sat down beside me. "I think Cira likes one of your horses." He loudly announced.

Hanna and I had the only mares in the group. It didn't gather our interest.

"Which one?" Risna asked.

"The one with the white spots."

"That's mine." Pippa spoke up. I looked up to see a smile on her face. "That's so sweet. I love foals."

All of us looked at her in surprise. "You can take of a foal?" Hanna asked.

"Or course." She smiled wider. "We start out practicing medicine on animals first. I can even help give birth."

I looked away from Pippa as she happily smiled at everyone in the clearing. Sometimes she said stuff that really made everyone comfortable.

"I'm sure we'll see your skills when the time comes." Father finally spoke up. He reached up and started to unbraid his hair. I reached up to tie mine.

Pyr's eyes widened and she walked over to me. "Let me do it!"

I shrugged and turned my back to her. She always liked to braid my hair. She'd gotten better than me at it too.

"Excuse me, Emerys' dad. B-"

My father cut off Pyr before she could continue. "Just call me Alekto. It's fine."

I could feel her discomfort as she continued. "Right... Alekto... You're a mage, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"Shouldn't Emerys have trained as one too?" I stiffened, but she continued to braid my hair unperturbed. "Most kids follow their parents' paths."

Father went quiet. I could feel his eyes on me. He wouldn't answer unless I did. He knew what I'd been through. "I don't..." I sighed. "I don't have a lot of mana."

"But wouldn't you have started with mage training anyway?"

I sighed and let my eyes fall shut. "Yes."

"Is that why you started training late?" Sidas spoke up.

"You started training late?" Hanna asked.

"At eight." Sidas continued. "Or that's what she told me."

"At eight?" Pyr spoke behind me. "Did you change paths?"

"You can do that?" Pippa whispered softly to herself.

"It requires a lot of pull." Hanna explained. "Did you do something, Alekto?"

"I have friends. But it was a decision by the village chief in the end."

"It was a joke." I growled. "I was a joke."

Father sighed. "Emerys, d-"

"You know I'm right." I cut him off. "I still remember."

"Emerys, it was not what you think it was."

"'Go sic her on Sona. We'll see how long she lasts.'" These words had been ingrained in my memory the day I'd heard them. "That's what they said when they agreed to let me change paths. Old bastards." I opened my eyes and reached up to pull my hair out of Pyr's stilled grasp.