The Three Blessed Kings

Chapter 10: Smoking rings

"You really got me there, lad!"
Armes' laughter erupted,
In my ear.

"Who knew you were so clever?!"
He said slapping my back.
His hands were hard.

I thanked him plenty.
Despite my cool exterior,
I was so pleased.

The sun set soon after,
But Armes laid down;
He still had more to say.

"Let's camp 'ere tonight, lad.
My lessons are just startin'."
His voice lowered.

To his request,
I got plenty of wood,
To light for a campfire.

With two stumps as seats,
He chewed on his pipe,
Looking at the wood I brought.

How could I forget?!
We didn't have flint,
How would we light the fire?

But there Armes sat,
Just staring at it,
Like it would light on its own.

Pipe in hand, he took a deep breath.
He was murmuring;
Something magic.

He clapped his hands three times,
And a spark formed,
Making the fire start up.

A tiny spark,
Turned into a healthy flame,
In the blink of an eye.

My mouth was open,
But all he did,
Was wink and flash me a smile.

A few more murmurs,
And with a quick finger snap,
His pipe also sparked.

"You can use magic?!"
This genuinely shocked me,
It's rare humans can.

He nodded in agreement,
But his gaze didn't move,
As he smoked rings.

"Surprised?
Don't be, lad.
I'll have you know I'm fourth dwarf, and I'm proud of it."

That still impressed me;
To be three fourths human,
And still have SOME magic.

Through the darkness,
The light of the flames,
Really showed off his manly build.

Broad shoulders,
And skin harder than stone;
But yet his eyes were so gentle.

Fire was strong too,
So I asked,
Why he didn't use it sooner?

"On the night of the raid...
My sparks would've caused,
More harm than good there, lad."

He had a point there,
I guess that's why the crowds cheered,
For Seré's water.

But I thought about my test.
Would it have been the same,
If he used it?

It depressed me,
But he's always quick to notice,
And gave me a drink.

Out of his canteen,
May have been,
The sweetest water I've ever had.

My mood was quickly changed.
(He was too good at that.)
He made me feel safe.

Under a sky full of stars,
One man blew smoke,
As the other dozed off.

I have this bad habit:
Falling asleep so quick,
But I was tired.

The last thing I remember,
Is my head on a stone,
And a warm laugh.

I abruptly woke up,
Back in my bedroom;
All my stuff away.

It was still night out,
So I thought I'd drift back to sleep,
Until morning...