Mountains Vast and a Kingdom So Red

Chapter 8

On the field with the uniformly trimmed grass, my trainer gathers stones and forms them in a line. Her shoes are off, wand bobbling in her bosom. I begin to help her, but she holds her hand out. The last stone with a reddish center is placed.

"At camp, Ryder informed me you completed a spell."

"Yes, I brought some clothes to my side."

She smirks. "A child could do that, but a triumph nonetheless."

"Oh stuff it!" I say, almost revealing I completed a teleportation spell, but then I would have to mention the four winged castle.

She laughs and squeezes me on the shoulder affectionately. Perhaps it is nice to see her after a month's hiatus.

"Has your breathing improved after the retreat? Can you hold your breath for 100 seconds now?"

"Princess, movements first and then I can show you a meditation practice."

We make contact with our wands, heating them up for battle. The first sequence is throwing them in the air and catching them, a sequence about trust. The second sequence is about discipline: allowing the wand to shoot spark after spark. Then Urisis has me set down my wand so I can charge my body– stretches, and jumps, and running the length of the field. Finally, we each stand on opposite sides of the stones and her opening posture is flawless: her feet catching dirt, her arms resembling a ballerina's.

"Langthee ma," she says, and her magic spills out, nearly killing me but I cower in time. She grumbles, "You needed to say the words as well."

"Why?" I ask.

"Because my strike would not have killed you. Our magic would have negated each others, even though we each receive a blow to the chest." I sigh. We continue with Langthee ma until it is time for us to don our chest with vests to protect ourselves. My realm is fortunate to have these innovations, along with simple pads for the knees and elbows. Urisis, the second to the lead Purist soldier, kicks away the pads as if they are beneath her.

We run through spells, the main aim to kill each other. Unlike with Ryder, we do not use our bodies as a force, no punches, no footwork. Solely magic. She begins to orchestrate spells without saying them aloud: her thoughts are so powerful, it is not necessary. In the past she advices, do not practice magic when you are emotional. This is why I cannot simply embody a purist; I must be a defender as well.

"Good. Good Mikah! Steady."

After the hour, I lay on the grass, closing my eyes. She uses a simple water spell to cleanse her feet and legs before joining me.

"Repetition is key, so we meditate today and everyday."

"Are you and Ryder confidantes now?" I cover my face.

"We've become close since you've been put under our care. It can feel a bit lonely in the armada, when most of the soldiers are men. When most of them are hundreds years old."

This retreat has transformed my friend. She has not opened up to me in this manner before. "I'm ready to learn."

Urisis first instructs me to do a short inhale and a long exhale, countless times until I'm woozy and need a rest.